14 Every voice heard | 18 The Rathskeller reborn

Transcription

WINTER 2016
UNION
14
24
A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Every voice heard | 18 The Rathskeller reborn
Rain or snow, we're golfing
Victory Kiss by Yuan Gao ’18 was
recently awarded second place for
its appearance in the LGBTQ Exhibit
in the Wikoff Student Gallery. The
exhibit, now in its seventh year,
helps bring awareness, promote
discussion and educate the campus
about the lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and questioning
community.
Yuan Gao, Victory Kiss, 2015, digital print, 20 x 16 inches
UNION
COLLEGE
A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
WINTER 2016
Volume 110 • Number 2
FRONT COVER
Sunrise over a snow-covered
campus (by Matt Milless)
VICE PRESIDENT FOR
COLLEGE RELATIONS
Terri Cerveny
SENIOR DIRECTOR
OF COMMUNICATIONS
Gail Glover
EDITOR
Charlie Casey
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Erin DeMuth Judd
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Christen Gowan
Tina Lincer
Phillip Wajda
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Matt Milless
Timothy Raab
Gary Gold
DESIGN
14 Every voice heard
With conversations that run the gamut from collegial to
contentious, campus programs aim to share a range of
perspectives.
2k Design
PRINTING
Fort Orange Press
UNIONCOLLEGE
is published three times a year by
the Union College Office of
Communications, Schenectady,
N.Y. 12308. The telephone
is (518) 388-6131. Non-profit
flat rate postage is paid at
Schenectady, N.Y., and an
additional mailing office.
Postmaster: Send address
changes to Office of
Communications, Union College,
Schenectady, N.Y. 12308-3169.
Alumni who want to inform
the College about changes
of address should contact the
Alumni Office at (518) 388-6168
or via e-mail at [email protected].
The same phone number and
e-mail address should be used
to correspond about ReUnion,
Homecoming, alumni club
events, and other activities.
18 The Rathskeller reborn
After a July 2014 flood destroyed the Rathskeller as generations of alumni have known it, the underground hangout
reopened in September with a new, more modern look.
That same old ‘Skeller spirit, though, made of those
memories you never forget, remains.
24 Rain or snow, we’re golfing
In fair weather, but mostly foul, the women’s golf team uses
a state-of-the-sport simulator to play at Pebble Beach and
other world-class links.
Departments
2
President’s Message
3Letters
4
Across Campus
26focUs
28Bookshelf
30 Alumni Clubs
32 The Classes
and Profiles
50Unions
53Arrivals
54 In Memoriam
60 Look Back
» Visit us online at
www.union.edu/magazine
president’s message
The Making of Community
STEPHEN C. AINL AY, Ph.D.
L
ast August, I went to a funeral home in Clifton
Park, N.Y., to join in remembering Professor
Ed Craig, Class of 1945 and long-time member
of the Union Electrical Engineering Department.
Ed was a loyal son of Union, and both Judith and I
appreciated the many ways in which he demonstrated
his support after we assumed the presidency of
Union. What struck me about the gathering at the
funeral home were the many alumni who drove
great distances to voice their appreciation of the
support that their beloved Professor Craig had given
them when they were students at Union.
In November, we found ourselves in Casper, Wyo.,
remembering another beloved member of the
Union community. Jane Wold didn’t graduate from
Union but this school was in her blood. A native of
Schenectady, she loved Union College and, along
with her husband John, Class of 1938, found many
ways of giving back throughout her lifetime. She
was also a cherished friend.
All this reminded me of the many ways in which
Union brings people together and creates an
inseparable bond between them—a bond that lasts
over many years and transcends differences
between people. It begins, of course, with its name:
Union. We have a distinctive institutional tendency
toward community that emerges from our very
beginnings. We are an institution that, in its founding, asserted that whatever our differences, we have
a shared educational mission. It carries to our motto,
which recently received an updating: “Under the
laws of Minerva, we all become brothers and sisters.”
What began as a union of three religious traditions
has become a union of people coming from a complex
array of diverse backgrounds and identities. Initiatives
such as Identity Dialogues and Dinner and Discussion Around Diversity (DDD) and the offices of
Diversity and Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs help
create mutual understanding and provide opportunities to learn about the perspective of others—all
strengthening Union’s sense of a shared community.
Community becomes real for each new generation
through institutional rituals such as the opening
2 | UNION COLLEGE Winter 2016
convocation and community barbeque that reconvenes the Union community each fall. This past
September, Memorial Chapel was filled to capacity
and hundreds stood on the front step looking in as we
marked the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year.
We added a new ritual this year when we hosted
the inaugural Feigenbaum Forum on Innovation
and Creativity. Harvard professor, Howard Gardner,
spoke in a packed Nott Memorial about the ways in
which creativity and innovation were manifested
through the lives of many inspiring people. He too
convened our community and reminded us of core
qualities of the Union graduate—qualities that attract
people to Union and qualities that mark something
of our shared mission.
Community is also built through the commitment
of its members. You will read about the memorial to
Coach Bruce Allison that was dedicated during
Homecoming. A beautiful stone monument greets
all who arrive at Bailey Field and reminds us of this
remarkable Hall of Fame lacrosse coach and Union
community-builder. Speaker after speaker at the
dedication ceremony spoke with deep emotion
about the ways in which Coach Allison shaped them
and built a powerful sense of community.
And, community is facilitated through spaces.
Ramee and Nott understood this well when they
designed our remarkable campus. We were made
aware of the power that space has on forming
community when the ‘Skeller was unfortunately
closed for a year after a devastating flood. We missed
that space and celebrated when it was reopened this
past fall. Community informed our design of the new
Garnet Commons on the western edge of campus.
This new and popular facility is already providing a
social center, located squarely between the historic
quad and College Park Hall and surrounded by the
many theme houses on Seward Street.
It’s no wonder that Union grabs hold of people,
gets into their blood, and calls them back home.
We have much to celebrate at Union, but our strong
sense of community is most certainly one of them.
letters
Get involved,
online
Keep your finger on the
daily pulse of Union, and
add your voice to all sorts of
fun conversations about
everything from academics
to sports to who took the
best Nott Shot.
REMEMBERING
BOB
J
ust learned recently of the
death of former Union
PR director Bob Carman for
whom I worked from late
1969 through 1974 as director
of the College news bureau.
Bob was bright. But way
more important, he was
committed to Union College
and worked very hard to help
make the place—its students,
faculty and alumni—as good
as he believed it was. His
work on College publications
was widely recognized for
quality, especially the alumni
magazine and Symposium, a
journal of ideas and opinion,
which took on issues—and
in the early 70s there were
many—he believed were
important to the College
community. After Union, his
writing and editing skills
along with insightful commentary were instrumental in
making Adirondack Life
magazine the respected
publication it is today.
Bob could be contentious.
For instance, he would argue
at length that Duck Soup was
the best Marx Brothers movie
while I knew that Horsefeathers was really much funnier.
Overlooking that, Union
College was a better place
because of the work done on
its behalf by Bob Carman.
—Phil Johnson,
Clifton Park, N.Y.
JOIN US ON
SOCIAL MEDIA!
Let us know
Have you changed jobs, gotten promoted,
had a baby, taken an amazing trip,
retired or gotten married?
Share your news with us through a class note.
Photos 1 MB or larger are welcome too. The
deadline for the spring magazine is March 1.
PLEASE SHARE AT:
[email protected]
Union College magazine
807 Union St.
Schenectady, N.Y. 12308
(518) 388-6490
https://instagram.com/
unioncollege
https://www.facebook.com/
unioncollege
https://twitter.com/
unioncollegeny
Keep in touch
Barry Smith, professor
emeritus in the Department
of Theatre Arts (1971-1998),
welcomes students and
teachers to engage in
reflections on what they
have learned since.
Please email him at
[email protected]
Winter 2016 UNION COLLEGE
| 3
across campus
Convocation opens next chapter in Union’s remarkable history
I
n 1945, Union’s 12th
president, Dixon Ryan Fox,
was working on a book
commemorating the College’s
first 150 years when he died
of a heart attack. Nearly
complete, Union College: An
Unfinished History, highlighted
the importance of the school’s
mission beyond its borders
and how its distinguished
history paved the way for
future chapters.
That’s the message
President Stephen C. Ainlay
touched on Tuesday, Sept. 8,
during Convocation to open
Union’s 221st academic year.
“Union College is truly an
unfinished history,” Ainlay
told the crowd. “Each generation has the opportunity to
surpass the accomplishments
of those who went before,
always remembering that
they are advantaged by what
their predecessors accomplished during their time
AROUND
Karp Hall, Wold Center and
Butterfield Hall. Visual Arts,
currently under renovation,
will be renamed Feigenbaum
Center for Visual Arts when it
reopens this fall.
Other projects in the
planning stages include a
massive overhaul of the
Science and Engineering
Center. Ainlay noted that
much of the complex, built in
the late 1960s and dedicated
in 1971, is “getting tired.” For
The 571 students in Class of 2019 arrive.
AUGUST
For more detailed campus news,
visit www.union.edu/news
here, when they took up the
obligation and opportunity to
steward this remarkable place.”
Entering his 10th year as
president, Ainlay recounted the
transformation of academic
spaces over the past decade
which has dramatically
enhanced the educational
experience for students and
faculty. Among the projects
are Taylor Music Center,
Henle Dance Pavilion,
Lippman Hall, Lamont House,
They come from 31 states and the District of
Columbia, and represent 17 countries. Nearly
30% are international or from underrepresented
backgrounds. They were selected from record
number of nearly 6,000 applicants.
Union to maintain its historic
leadership role in the STEM
fields, he said, it’s essential to
undertake a project, which, if
approved by the Board of
Trustees, would be the largest
in terms of square footage
and cost in the College’s
history. It would also require
the greatest fundraising effort
ever as well.
When completed, Ainlay
said, “we will be the college of
choice for students who wish
to study electrical engineering
and music, art and chemistry,
economics and environmental
engineering, ethics and 3D
printing. We are positioned
to be the college of choice for
students who want a deep
education and yet sense the
power of integrating fields of
study when seeking a better
understanding of the world.”
Plans are also in the works
to expand dining space,
offer more food options and
provide a better overall dining
experience by reducing wait
times and improving access
in the Reamer Campus Center.
Ainlay then reiterated his
message from a year ago,
when Union supported a
national campaign to prevent
sexual harassment and sexual
and relationship violence on
college campuses.
“There is no place for sexual
violence, abuse, or intimidation
in this community,” he said.
The College recently hired
Max Caplan ’16 receives the Hollander Convocation Music Prize from
Lawrence J. Hollander, dean of engineering emeritus.
a fulltime Title IX coordinator,
Melissa Kelley, who reports to
the President’s Office and
whose responsibilities include
prevention and awareness
education.
In closing, Ainlay reminded
the audience of the challenges
and opportunities that lie
ahead.
“We’ve accomplished much
in the past decade, and Union
has never been stronger—
measured by financial wellbeing, strength of its faculty,
staff, and students, the quality
of its infrastructure, and even
its clarity of mission,” Ainlay
said. “Yes, Union is an
unfinished history, and we
have the opportunity to breathe
life into its distinctive mission,
to write those next chapters
and to establish our continued
significance to the world.”
Also at Convocation, Ainlay
welcomed the Class of 2019.
The 571 first-year students
were selected from among
nearly 6,000 applicants, a
record. They come from
31 states and the District of
Columbia. Representing
17 countries, nearly 30 percent
are international or from
underrepresented backgrounds. Seventy percent
were ranked in the top 10
percent of their class.
Ainlay also acknowledged
Claire Bracken, associate
professor of English, as the
winner of the Stillman Prize
for Excellence in Teaching.
Bracken, on leave last term,
was presented with the award
at Founders Day in February.
The prize was created by David
I. Stillman ’72, Abbott Stillman
’69 and Allan Stillman in
honor of Abraham Stillman,
father and grandfather. It is
given annually to a faculty
member to encourage
outstanding teaching.
A.J. Place, former assistant
director of Residential Life,
was announced as the recipient
of the UNITAS CommunityBuilding Prize for his role in
the development of the Next
Step Social Justice Retreats,
participation in the Bystander
Intervention initiative and
Sexual Assault and Harassment Committee, and other
work. He recently joined
Middlebury College.
Therese A. McCarty, the
Stephen J. and Diane K.
Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and
Vice President for Academic
Affairs, recognized the students
who made the Dean’s List last
year. Their names are on a
plaque that will be displayed
in Reamer Campus Center.
Max Caplan ’16 received
the Hollander Prize in Music,
established by Lawrence J.
Hollander, dean of engineering emeritus. A double major
in music and classics from
Niskayuna, N.Y., Caplan
performed Chopin’s Polonaise
in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1
(Military Polonaise).
The convocation opened
with remarks from William A.
Finlay, College marshal and
professor of theater and
dance; David Henle ‘75, vice
chairman of the Board of
Trustees; Peter Bedford,
John and Jane Wold Professor
of Religious Studies and chair
of the Faculty Executive
Committee; and Ilan Levine
’16, Student Forum president.
Accompanied by Professor
of Music Dianne McMullen, the
Class of 2019 led Ode to Ole
Union to close the ceremony.
More than 125 students,
Shannon Holly and Andy Zou ’17,
representing 40 majors, conduct
Union’s latest Adirondack
summer research. They work
Fellows, spend summer
closely with 65 faculty from
conducting independent
20 departments and programs.
research on issues impacting
the Adirondacks.
| 5
across campus
First Feigenbaum Forum fills the Nott
Students, pictured with Howard Gardner, attend the Feigenbaum Forum
H
SEPTEMBER
undreds packed the
Nott Memorial
November 3, for the
inaugural Feigenbaum Forum
on Innovation and Creativity.
Howard Gardner, an
internationally-renowned
psychologist who developed
the theory of multiple
intelligences that revolutionized how educators teach their
students, was the featured
speaker.
The John H. and Elisabeth
A. Hobbs Professor of
Cognition and Education at
the Harvard Graduate School
of Education, Gardner spent
an hour outlining his theory,
a critique of the notion that
there exists but a single
human intelligence (such as
the traditional IQ) that can
be assessed by standard
psychometric instruments.
Touching on the lives of
notable people like Freud,
Einstein, Picasso and Ghandi,
Gardner argued that creativity
is not an all-purpose trait but
instead involves distinct intelligences, including musical,
interpersonal, spatial-visual,
mathematical and linguistic.
A winner of a MacArthur
Prize Fellowship, Gardner also
explained how he believes
innovation differs from
creativity in that innovation is
primarily focused on bringing
an idea to market, but “there
should be room for both.”
The forum is made
possible through a gift from
the Feigenbaum Foundation.
The foundation was created
by brothers Armand V.
Feigenbaum ’42 and Donald
Howard Gardner
S. Feigenbaum ‘46, longtime
benefactors to Union.
Acknowledged world leaders
in systems engineering and
total quality control, the
brothers founded General
Systems Co., the Pittsfield,
Mass.-based international
systems engineering firm that
designs and helps implement
operational systems for
corporations and governments
worldwide.
Armand died November
2014; Donald, March 2013.
For more than a dozen
years, the brothers hosted the
Feigenbaum Forum, a gathering on campus at which
academicians discussed
characteristics of a new
generation of leaders and
how better to integrate liberal
arts and other studies.
The new program builds
on this event by bringing in
speakers who have revolutionized their fields of endeavor
through contributions deemed
innovative and creative.
Looking out at the overflow crowd in the Nott (dozens
more watched a livestream
of the event in Karp Hall),
President Stephen C. Ainlay
said the brothers would be
“absolutely thrilled” with how
their program has evolved.
In supporting the event,
Emil J. George, president of
the Feigenbaum Foundation,
said the brothers “always
talked of their love of Union
College.”
To watch a video of the event,
visit www.youtube.com/user/
unioncollege
Molly Guptill Manning, a lawyer and
Union joins national conversation over income inequality
author of the best-selling book, "When
with new course, “Inequality: Economic and Social
Books Went to War: The Stories that
Perspectives.” Drawing on expertise of professors from
Helped Us Win World War II," discusses
history, economics, psychology, literature, political
her work. Manning’s talk is part of the
science, biology, environmental studies and sociology, it
Common Curriculum Speaker Series.
allows students to explore an issue prominent in the news.
Union’s age-old motto gets a modern makeover
I
n a move that supporters
believe is long overdue, the
College will modify its
centuries-old motto to add
the French word for “sisters.”
Under the change, which
was recently approved by the
Board of Trustees, Union’s
motto now reads Sous les lois
de Minerve nous devenons
tous frères et sœurs (“Under
the laws of Minerva, we all
become brothers and sisters”).
This replaces the original
French motto, Sous les lois
de Minerve nous devenons
tous frères (“Under the laws
of Minerva we all become
brothers"), which was adopted
shortly after Union’s founding
in 1795.
“We respect the tradition of
the words carefully chosen by
our original trustees, but it’s
important that those words
now make explicitly clear that
Union is a place of inclusion
and a shared intellectual
mission for all,” said President
Stephen C. Ainlay.
Union began admitting
women in 1970. According to
Wayne Somers ’61, editor of
the Encyclopedia of Union
College History, there were
unsuccessful efforts by
students and faculty in 1976,
1991 and 1998 to alter the
motto because of complaints
that it excludes women.
The latest push was led by
Evan Leibovitz ’15 and Peter
Durkin ’16. The two brought a
proposal before Student Forum,
which voted unanimously
last January to support the
change. The Alumni Council
and the Faculty Executive
Committee also supported
the proposal.
“The change was needed
to recognize the importance
and the many contributions
of women since the College
became a coeducational
institution,” said Durkin, a
student trustee. “The changes
maintain the historical idea of
Union as a nondenominational
institution and the development of lifetime friendships
through brotherhood and
sisterhood, while showing
our evolution from an all-male
institution.”
It may be some time before
the modified version appears
on stationery, campus
podiums and other places
adorned by the College seal.
But the origins of the
motto remain one of the
College’s enduring mysteries.
Not long after the school’s
founding, a committee of four
trustees came up with the
unique motto that would form
part of the school’s official seal.
The choice of using the
head of Minerva, the Roman
goddess of wisdom, for the
seal was not a surprise. She
was a central symbol of the
time, adorning the masthead
of Columbia, New York City’s
leading newspaper, and other
prominent seals. She also stood
behind the speaker’s platform
in Congress in the form of a
five-ton bronze sculpture.
But while other colleges
and universities took their
mottos from the Latin, Greek
or Hebrew (“Veritas”—“Truth”
proclaimed Harvard on the
first American college seal),
Union turned to the French.
Why the French? The
founders of the College had
made a sharp break with the
classical tradition prevalent in
American higher education by
substituting French for Greek
in entrance requirements and
in the curriculum. But despite
exhaustive research by a
number of people connected
to the College, no specific
source for the motto has been
discovered.
Union historian Codman
Hislop ’31 speculated that
the members of the seal
committee may have been
responsible for the motto.
The four locals, according
to Hislop, “were all sophisticated Albanians then rubbing
shoulders constantly with the
many French refugees who
visited the capital. Our French
motto could have turned up
at the dinner table of any one
of the trustees living in 1795
in a climate heavy with
French Republican thought.”
Samuel Fortenbaugh Jr. ’23,
a former chairman of the
Board of Trustees and
collector of arcane lore about
Union’s history, tried to solve
the mystery, both in an article
he wrote for the Union
Symposium in 1969 (“Adventures in the Seal Trade”) and
in his 1978 book, “In Order to
Form a More Perfect Union.”
In a chapter titled “The
Question of a Seal—Telemachus
(?),” Fortenbaugh methodically dissects a cadre of likely
suspects behind the French
words, from the four committee trustees to the silversmith
company that designed the
seal to Union’s first president,
John Blair Smith.
“Any one of them may
have been the finder or
author—or maybe there was
another who found the
quotation in some as yet
undiscovered source,”
Fortenbaugh wrote. “There
the matter must rest.”
It’s announced that Union will become a
The Taylor Time concert series kicks off when
tobacco/smoke-free environment effective
James Nyoraku Schlefer and Yoko Reikano
July 1, 2016. The initiative bans tobacco
Kimura present “Eastern Light: Classic and Modern
use and implements smoke-free policies for
Music for Japanese Instruments.” Schlefer is a
buildings and/or on property owned or
grand master of the shakuhachi, Kimura performs
leased by the College.
classical Japanese music in the Yamada school-style.
| 7
across campus
Coach Allison remembrance highlights Homecoming
Longtime lacrosse coach Bruce Allison is remembered during
Homecoming with a plaque dedication
L
colleges and universities created to improve the college
admission application process for all students. The
Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success is
developing a free platform of online tools to streamline
the experience of applying to college.
intercollegiate women’s
programs. In 2011, Allison was
inducted into the United
States Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
“We were thrilled to be able
to remember Bruce’s many
contributions during Homecoming, it made the weekend
very special for everyone,”
said Damond Heath, associate
director of Alumni & Parent
Engagement. “We welcomed
back over 2,000 guests this
year, many of whom, I’m sure,
recall Bruce with fondness.”
Other highlights of Homecoming weekend (Oct. 9-11),
included the Legacy Reception
and Volunteer Appreciation
Reception.
Union College Concert Series kicks off new
Union joins new group of diverse public and private
OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER
ongtime lacrosse coach
Bruce Allison was
remembered during
Homecoming & Family
Weekend in October. A
ceremony to dedicate a
plaque near Bailey Field was
held to honor this man who
did much for Union and the
students he mentored.
Allison, who passed away
in December 2013, served
Union from 1957 until 1976, as
coach of varsity wrestling,
varsity men’s lacrosse and
freshman football, and also as
a physical education instructor.
He was named director of
Athletics in 1971, and during
his tenure established six
Almost 100 people attended
the Legacy Reception, which
honors families that have sent
multiple generations to
Union. Gynger Connolly ’80
and her daughter, Sarah
Connolly ’18, were featured
speakers during the event.
And at the Volunteer
Appreciation Reception,
which honors Union volunteers, Christopher Burke ’10
and Kenya Lenoir Messer ’90
were recognized. Burke
won the Rising Star Award,
presented to young alumni
in recognition of exemplary
service, leadership, and
unwavering loyalty to the
College. Messer received the
Distinguished Service to
Union Award, presented to
alumni who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and loyalty to their alma
mater, and who have made
significant and diverse
contributions to the College
over their lifetime. Additionally,
the New York City Alumni
Club won the best club event
award for their annual Cloisters
event, which has sold out
since inception.
“Other popular events
included the annual pumpkin
carving competition, liquid
nitrogen ice cream making
by the Chemistry Club, horse
drawn hayrides around our
beautiful campus, a multitude
of Union athletic events, and
season with special multimedia event with the
Orlando Consort. The renowned British vocal
group provides live soundtrack of 15th Century
music alongside screening of Carl Dreyer’s classic
1928 silent film “The Passion of Joan of Arc.”
Kenya Lenoir Messer ’90 and her family
attend Homecoming, during which
Messer received the Distinguished
Service to Union Award.
a celebration of the 10-year
anniversary of Union’s
undefeated 2005 football
team,” Heath said. “New this
year, we also added student
clubs to the tailgate picnic,
which gave parents, alumni,
Alumni from multiple
generations of Union
families attend the Legacy
Reception
and guests a chance to check
out what our students are
working on.”
More Homecoming fun
awaits this fall. Save the date—
Oct. 21-23—for Homecoming
& Family Weekend 2016.
Now in its seventh year, the LGBTQ at Union exhibit at the
Hundreds of members of the Union community,
Wikoff Student Gallery helps bring awareness, promote
including Greek organizations and student clubs,
discussion and educate the campus about the lesbian, gay,
help spruce up the city and surrounding area
bisexual, transgender and questioning community. A film, “Your
during the annual John Calvin Toll Day.
Eyes,” by Cassandra Padilla ’17 won “Best in Show,” while a
Volunteers clean up parks, monuments and other
digital print by Yuan Gao ’18 was awarded second place.
public spaces, and provide other help as needed.
| 9
across campus
For U the bell tolled
the campus for its prayers.
The bells were also a target of
student mischief.
According to the Encyclopedia of Union College
History, in 1822, students
upset with a bell-ringer
tried to blow up a bell in the
South Colonnade. Later,
students stole the clapper and
left it on President Eliphalet
Nott’s doorstep.
And in 1860, students stole
the hundred-pound bell from
North Colonnade, part of the
original campus plan and
now home to Visual Arts.
“Though rumored to be
either en route to Harvard or
hidden in a secret club-room
in Schenectady, it was never
found,” according to the
Encyclopedia.
Its replacement bell is the
one contractors recently
uncovered. It hasn’t been
rung since 1936, when the
College installed gongs in
classroom buildings that
were controlled by a clock
in the Administration
Building. Those gongs were
silenced in 1970 after complaints from some faculty
that they reminded them of
high school.
In the next few weeks,
workers will use a crane to
carefully remove the bell and
store it until the College
decides its next use. A similar
bell rescued from South
OCTOBER
Union hosts the 2015 Haiku North America
Conference, featuring workshops and performances
from over 100 haiku poets, editors and publishers.
Hilary Tann, the John Howard Payne Professor of
Music and chair of the department, was instrumental
in bringing the conference to the College.
NOVEMBER
A
s he climbed on the
roof of the Visual Arts
building in October,
Wayne Christiansen had no
idea he was about to uncover
a piece of Union history.
A superintendent for
Sano-Rubin Construction
Services, the Albany firm
overseeing the extensive
renovation of the building,
Christiansen and a coworker needed to inspect
the cupola perched atop the
historic building for upcoming duct work.
The two pried back a few
of the weathered louvers and
peeked inside. There, resting
silently in its wooden frame,
was a tin and copper bell.
“We didn’t know what to
expect, but we were so
excited to see it was there,”
Christiansen said.
Eighteen inches in
diameter and weighing about
100 pounds, the bell was
cast by the world-renowned
Meneely Bell Foundry in
nearby West Troy (now
Watervliet). Between 1826 and
1952, more than 65,000
Meneely bells were produced
and shipped to hundreds of
schools, churches and
factories around the world.
The sound of bells ringing
is deeply rooted in Union’s
past, whether to signal the
beginning and ending of
class periods, or awakening
Colonnade was restored in
1984 by the Class of 1947. It’s
now on display in the lobby
of Old Chapel.
Perhaps the bell will return
to its longtime home when
the building is renamed the
Feigenbaum Center for Visual
Arts and reopens in fall 2016
after renovations are complete.
“It’s pretty neat when you
find things like this,” said
Loren Rucinski, director of
Facilities Services. “We
assumed all the bells had
been taken out over the years.
It’s nice to discover a piece of
Union’s history.”
“Ion Codrescu: Haiga Painting,” an
exhibition of a Japanese genre that mixes
image and haiku, is on view at the
Mandeville Gallery. The show features
30 works by Codrescu, a Romanian-born
poet, artist, essayist and educator.
Apartment-style residence hall opens
U
nion’s new apartmentstyle residence hall,
Garnet Commons,
began housing students
this fall.
The three-story, 38,420
square-foot building on
Roger Hull Place and Park
Place includes 80 beds, with
fully furnished four-, threeand two-bedroom apartments. Each apartment has
common living space
(kitchen and living room),
two bathrooms and closets.
Building features include a
multi-purpose room, lounge,
study room, meeting room
and music room on the
ground floor. There will also
be a laundry room.
Sano-Rubin Construction
Co. Inc. of Albany was the
general contractor on the
$9-million project. The
architecture firm is Envision
Architects P.C., also of Albany.
Garnet Commons was
designed to respect the scale
of the neighborhood and
maintain the architectural
integrity of the surrounding
properties.
Sustainable features
include energy efficient
heating and cooling systems,
storm water management, a
rain garden and the use of
green building materials such
as rock wool insulation. The
building was designed to
LEED standards.
An interactive kiosk on the
ground floor allows residents
to monitor how the building
is functioning with the
sustainable features.
| 11
across campus
Mellon Foundation awards grant to support “Our Shared Humanities”
courses using portable
makerspaces will be
designed. A Humanities
Maker Faire will showcase
the work of faculty and
students, including artists,
sculptors, writers, tech
enthusiasts and others.
Plans also call for curricular
tie-ins that promote
cross-disciplinary projects.
U
nion has been awarded
a three-year $800,000
grant from The Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation to
promote the integration of
the arts and humanities
across academic disciplines
through faculty development
and a series of distinctive
hands-on experiences for
students and faculty.
Called “Our Shared
Humanities,” the initiative
allows the College to build on
its traditional strength of
crossing disciplinary boundaries to prepare students for
an increasingly diverse,
global and technologically
complex society.
This will be done, in part,
by providing faculty with a
broad range of opportunities
to explore collaborations that
promote the integration of
the arts and humanities with
other disciplines across the
curriculum.
These include workshops,
discussion groups and participation in conferences or other
travel that bring artistic and
humanistic perspectives to bear
across disciplinary boundaries.
Highlights of the projects
supported by the grant include:
• Expansion of Union’s
Faculty Development
Institutes (FDI). Faculty will
work in multidisciplinary
teams on innovative course
design that promotes
student learning through
creativity, active learning,
social learning and a “design
thinking” approach and
mindset. Topics may include
the flipped classroom, active
learning, making things
visible, metacognition and
technology. Faculty from
the Psychology Department
will facilitate sessions as
part of a lunchtime colloquial series on cognitive
science.
• Establishing a “Humanities
Lab Series.” Working in
multidisciplinary teams,
students will tackle some of
the challenges that humanity
faces. Topics may include
environmental sustainability
(e.g., energy, water), global
climate change, cultural
and religious conflicts, or
socioeconomic inequality.
This initiative builds on the
success of the Humanities
Super Seminar, a multidisciplinary course typically
taught in the spring by three
humanities faculty that
focuses on a single topic.
• Creation of a Humanities
Maker Community.
Through its Collaborative
Design Studio, an interdisciplinary research space in
the Wold Center, Union
aims to reframe the act of
“making” from the technological to the artistic and
humanistic. Students,
particularly those in the
arts and humanities, will
be involved in cuttingedge research and design
challenges as part of the
burgeoning “maker”
movement flourishing in
the studio. The studio
contains six Makerbots
donated by Jenny
Lawton ’85, former CEO of
MakerBot, a leading firm in
3D printing, scanning and
entertainment. “Pop up
labs” for faculty to incorporate “making” into their
“With this grant, we will
demonstrate to students
divided by traditional
science-engineering versus
humanities-social sciences
boundaries that study ‘on
the other side’ is accessible
and beneficial to them as
scholars, to their careers, and
to society,” said Wendy
Sternberg, dean of academic
departments and programs
and principal investigator for
the grant.
Therese A. McCarty, the
Stephen J. and Diane K.
Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and
Vice President for Academic
Affairs, noted the grant
supports a prominent feature
of the College’s strategic plan,
Integrative Thought and
Action for the 21st Century.
“We are grateful to the
Mellon Foundation for its
generous support of our
initiative that will foster the
integration of the arts and
humanities across academic
disciplines,” McCarty said.
“We believe that the arts and
humanities should not be
exclusive to the disciplines
traditionally called the
humanities—they can
illuminate other disciplines
in intellectually exciting and
innovative ways. We are
truly excited about the
possibilities of 'Our Shared
Humanities’ that this grant
will allow us to explore.”
Recognizing
retirees
T
he College this year
honored the careers of
eight faculty members
who have attained emeritus
status. They were Julius
Barbanel, professor of mathematics; Linda Cool, professor
of anthropology; Pilar Moyano,
professor of modern languages;
Walter Hatke, the May I. Baker
Professor of Visual Arts; Jay
Newman, the R. Gordon
Gould ’41 Professor of Physics;
Susan Niefield, professor
mathematics; Rudy Nydegger,
professor of psychology; and
Karl Zimmermann, professor
of mathematics. (This year’s
retirements, which accounted
for one fourth of the mathematics department, were something of a family affair. Profs.
Niefield and Zimmermann
are married; Prof. Barbanel
is married to Prof. Niefield’s
sister, Nancy, who teaches
ceramics classes at Union.)
Several of the retirees
provided recollections,
excerpted here:
Prof. Barbanel: “The
environment for doing
mathematical research was
perfect for me, and
teaching mathematics to
so many young people was a
daily thrill. Getting to know
many of my students,
especially the Posse students
that I mentored in recent
years, was a joy that I shall
always carry with me.”
Prof. Niefield: “Being at
Union has never felt like a job.
I’ve gotten to know so many
interesting students, from
those who struggled their
way through, spending many
hours in my office, to those
whom I encouraged to go on
and who became mathematicians themselves. My department has been my family
both literally and figuratively.
This place has been my life
for 34 years and I expect to
be around for 34 more.”
Prof. Nydegger: “My dearest
Among this year’s retirees were, from left, Walter Hatke, Julius
Barbanel and Rudy Nydegger.
memories come from the
range of wonderful people
whose lives touched many
including my own. People from
every part of the College truly
leave a mark on the education
of our students and on the
lives and careers of the rest of
us. To all of them I can only
say, ‘Thank you for all you have
done and continue to do.’”
Prof. Zimmerman: “What
we do for the students is
truly a group effort. I would
like to thank all my colleagues
around campus—on the
staff, the faculty, and in the
administration—I've always
had the feeling we were in
this together … all thinking
about what is best for the
College and our students.
Working with people, all
willing to go that extra mile,
has made Union a great place
to spend my career.”
Civil War glossary posted
on-line
T
hroughout 2015, in recognition of the 150th anniversary
of the end of the Civil War and the Lincoln assassination, the College’s Notables Committee mounted an
exhibition titled “Profound and Poignant: Union College
Connections to the Civil War Era” in the Nott Memorial.
Tom Werner and Andrea Foroughi, co-curators of the
exhibition, have produced a glossary of personal experiences,
a permanent record of the many connections between the
College and the Civil War era that appeared in the exhibition
as well as others that could not be included due to space
limitations. Werner, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of
Physical Sciences Emeritus, chairs the Union College Notables
Committee, of which Foroughi, associate professor of
history, is a member.
The glossary is available here as a PDF: www.union.edu/civilwar
| 13
• •EVERY
•
VOICE
•••
HEARD
•••
Campus programs
take aim at understanding
other perspectives
Organizers of Identity Dialogues, from left, Mayte Martinez ’18, Antonia “Toni” Batha ’17
and Maya Whalen-Kipp ’16
E
very Thursday, in the Unity Lounge
of Reamer Campus Center, students
gather over lunch for conversation
that can run the gamut from collegial
to contentious.
This is Identity Dialogues, a student-run
series which explores the dynamic and
complex aspects of identity in a safe and
open forum. Topics range from cultural
(mis)appropriation to skin color to
millennial sex lives. Attendance can
range from 3 to 30.
Among the more popular recent topics:
What is white? LGBTQ identity. Interracial
relationships. Hair and identity.
Sessions can get lively, such as a
recent discussion over the sensitivity of
Halloween costumes.
But they can also be supportive. At an ID
on Muslim identity, a student was sharing
the particulars of his lifestyle, which he
said was at times at odds with his religious
beliefs. Other students offered comparisons
to themselves and their beliefs.
“The goal is to break down stereotypes
and to have an open space to talk about
personal identity and experience,” said
Maya Whalen-Kipp ’16, who organizes
this year’s IDs with Mayte Martinez ’18,
Antonia “Toni” Batha ’17 and Andrew
Guyatte ’17.
“Sometimes we can foster a conversation that would not happen otherwise,”
she adds. “This is a personal space and
therefore we have a lot of personal stories
and truths that come out [here] that there
is not another place for [on campus].”
Organizers gather to determine the
theme of each week’s session. Sometimes a topic will be generated by current
events, on- or off-campus. Other times
the organizers will ask the leaders of a
campus group to suggest a topic and
help moderate discussion.
The organizers ask participants—nearly
all students, except for an occasional
faculty, staff or guest—to keep what is
shared at ID within the room. “We want
people to feel comfortable to share their
stories because where else can they do
that?” Whalen-Kipp asks.
“Sometimes it does get very ‘preacher
to the choir,’ but I’m totally OK with that,”
she said. “Sometimes I think the choir
needs a place to preach and we provide
that space.”
Jason Benitez, director of multicultural affairs, says that it is significant that
Identity Dialogues is an independent
volunteer program run by students
for students. “The students really own
this and take pride in offering these
conversations,” he said. “This is not a
recognized club with a budget on
campus. It is purely students volunteering time because they are passionate
about the initiative.”
“ID offers a space to discuss topics
that are otherwise not widely talked
about,” said Benitez. “So, passions and
emotions can run high, but constructive
dialogue is always the goal.”
| 15
A discussion at Identity Dialogues
“It is my hope that the
skill of deeply listening
to one with whom
you disagree will help
students as they enter
the next phase of
their learning, be it a
work place situation
or graduate school.”
—Campus Protestant Minister
Viki Brooks
Benitez cites ID as one of two
programs that promote “safe discomfort”
as a way to create greater understanding.
The other is Dinner and Discussion
Around Diversity, also known as DDD.
DDD
Regulars of DDD talk about Tuesday nights
as the highlight of their week, good
take-out food from one of Schenectady’s
restaurants coupled with an unusual
opportunity to explore with others a
spiritual or ethical question from a variety
of perspectives.
Each week a student leader selects a
question, researches and records answers
from differing perspectives and then
facilitates the conversation.
Questions have included:
• How important are sexual beliefs/
restrictions in your faith/spirituality?
• Does God influence your choice of
profession (or weekend activities)?
• Is there a place for truth in interfaith
dialogue?
• What is forgiveness?
• Is humanity inherently good or evil?
At a DDD session last fall, students
and staff explored the question, “How do
we make decisions?” The leader presented
passages from the Christian, Jewish,
Islamic and atheist/agnostic perspectives,
and the conversation took flight, eventually
coming around to a topic with which
Above: Students hold a vigil after the
shooting of three students at the University
of North Carolina
students identify: activism.
“Do we have an obligation to be
activists?” a student asked. “The opposite of
activism is apathy. So if you’re not apathetic,
that’s a step in the right direction.”
DDD began in 1999 as “Dinner, Devotion
and Discussion,” sponsored by the Campus
Protestant Ministry that included scripture readings and a brief reflection from
Campus Protestant Minister Viki Brooks.
Over several years, scripture was
replaced by articles on contemporary
religious questions, and students took
over most of the leadership, Brooks said.
“We try to create a culture of respect
for difference and a culture of care in our
time together,” Brooks said. “It is my hope
that the skill of deeply listening to one
with whom you disagree will help students
as they enter the next phase of their
learning, be it a work place situation or
graduate school.”
There is no typical student who
attends DDD, Brooks said. But those who
are drawn to this program are interested
in the search for meaning in a unique
way. “They value the exchange of ideas
that allows them to draw on their
personal experience in equal measure to
their intellectual life,” she said.
HEAD: HEED AWARD
RECOGNIZES
DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSION
U
Changing culture
Student culture has changed in the past
decade or so, according to Gretchel
Hathaway, chief diversity officer, with
students more engaged in learning about
other perspectives on local, national and
global issues.
Each year, Hathaway’s office surveys
the student body to determine programming and policy changes. After a spring
2014 survey, for example, Union added
more events in response to student
requests for opportunities to share on
topics like religion, race and LGBTQ
issues, she said.
“Students are much more willing to
dialogue about challenging issues and to
share their stories if they have safe venues
to express their thoughts,” she said.
They are also more engaged in social
justice issues, organizing vigils and rallies
around a number of recent events
including the 2014 police shooting of
Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the
murder by extremists of 147 students at
Garissa University College in Kenya last
April, and the shooting of three Muslim
students at UNC—Chapel Hill last February.
“We are a small but vibrant campus,”
she said, “and we listen to our students to
address issues so that Union College is
welcoming to all in our community.”
nion has been named a winner
of a HEED Award by Insight
Into Diversity magazine, the
oldest and largest diversity-focused
publication in higher education.
This marks the third straight year
the school has been honored by the
magazine, which recognizes U.S.
colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to
diversity and inclusion.
HEED (Higher Education Excellence
in Diversity) Award recipients were
selected based on their institution’s
”exemplary diversity and inclusion
initiatives, and ability to embrace a broad
definition of diversity on their campuses,
including gender, race, ethnicity,
veterans, people with disabilities and
members of the LGBT community.”
Diversity remains central to Union’s
institutional identity and mission and is
a key priority of the College’s Strategic
Plan. This includes advancing efforts to
recruit exceptional, diverse faculty and
students; building a learning environment that fosters democratic values,
social responsibility and ethical understanding; and nurturing a community
that encourages socially responsible
innovation.
The College’s commitment to
diversity is the focus of a cover story in
Insight’s October issue, “Union College:
Where Diversity Always Has a Seat at
the Table.”
“Making sure that diversity is written
into our institutional priorities and
goals informs how we make determinations about how money is spent and
about governance decisions. It doesn’t
just sit on a shelf,” President Stephen
C. Ainlay says in the article.
Shortly after he became president
in 2006, Ainlay created an Office of
Campus Diversity and Inclusion and an
Office of Multicultural Affairs.
The Insight article cites an increase,
from 12 to 20 percent, of incoming
students from diverse backgrounds
since 2006. International student
enrollment rose from 2 to 7 percent
over the same period, which saw record
high applications. The partnership with
the Posse Foundation, begun in 2006,
has increased student diversity and
produced what Ainlay called some of
the College’s best ambassadors. The
article also mentioned initiatives
including the Presidential Forum on
Diversity and a campus climate survey
that helps to direct programs and events.
“Union is more inclusive than we
have ever been before, but it has taken
intentional work, strong leadership
and strategic vision to create a campus
climate where everyone can succeed,”
said Gretchel Hathaway, the College’s
chief diversity officer.
To read the Insight article, visit here:
http://www.insightintodiversity.com/
union-college-where-diversity-alwayshas-a-seat-at-the-table/
Insight also recently recognized
two Union faculty members with its
100 Inspiring Women in Stem Award.
Ann Anderson, the Agnes S. MacDonald
Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
and Mary Carroll ‘86, professor of
chemistry, were among those honored
for their work in making a difference
in the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Anderson and Carroll joined Union
in 1992.
| 17
New look, same
old ‘Skeller spirit
BY ERIN DEMUTH JUDD
T
here’s this place underground, where
those things you never forget
happen. Where life takes a turn and
you change and learn and laugh.
As Mary Martin Gillman ’73 did. The
psychology major “pushed pizza and
beer” at the Rathskeller.
“Working there was good preparation
for life. I’ve always liked my fellow
humans and have always been interested
in their nature, and the ‘Skeller was a
terrific place to study just that,” Gillman
said. “During my time, professors
frequented the place and intellectual
conversations were de rigueur.”
“It was the kind of dark, smoky place
that smelled of food and beer—the stuff
good novels are made of,” she added.
“Remember the cantina in ‘Star Wars’
where Luke Skywalker and his droid
enter the dark bar? Just replace those
aliens with students, mostly men at the
time, and you have a pretty good likeness
of my memories. Lots of good times and
hard work, and that’s okay.”
| 19
A WORD ABOUT
THE NAME
After a misspelling on the first
sign sanctioned the use of “ar,”
generations of students have
known it as the Rathskellar
(Encyclopedia of Union College
History). But Rathskeller, a
German term for a basement bar
or restaurant, is correctly spelled
with an “er.” And that’s how
Union officially spells it as well.
The good times and hard work remain,
but this atmosphere (for decades made
of smoke, low lighting, pinball machines,
a juke box and wooden booths) is not as
it was.
When a water main under the circle
outside Old Chapel burst in July 2014, the
Rathskeller and most of its equipment,
furniture and fixtures drowned in water
as deep as five feet. It was a total loss, the
gritty character left behind by generations
of students difficult to entirely resuscitate
and replicate.
The new ‘Skeller, officially re-opened in
September after $2 million in renovations,
features sleek high-back chairs, custommade booths, a bright and airy ambience,
flat-screen TVs and a new portable ordering station. The 3,500-square-foot space
was also brought up to code, particularly
with ADA accessibility.
Even the menu, which hasn’t featured
beer since the drinking age rose to 21 in
1985, got a make-over.
Healthier options, like salads and
paninis, are now offered alongside old
standbys like mac ‘n cheese, and there are
also more gluten-free and allergy-free
choices. The ‘Skeller serves breakfast now,
too, providing quick things like bagels
and muffins, but also hot fare like egg-andcheese sandwiches, hashbrowns and
oatmeal. There’s even a cappuccino
machine and locally made Ciabatta bread.
“We added breakfast to help with the
increase in customers we see at Dutch
Hollow,” said Gregory Nalewjka, retail
director, Union College Dining Services.
“While we can’t offer everything Dutch
does, having popular items served at the
‘Skeller will help give students, faculty
and staff another option on their way to
classes or meetings. It will provide
another great service at the Rathskeller
and help reduce the traffic we see in the
mornings at Dutch.”
All these changes don’t mean the
‘Skeller, first opened in December 1949,
has lost touch with its roots or original
purpose, though.
“We did try to retain parts of the old
place, we understand the significance of
it to alumni. Of course, as rules change
for dining areas and the equipment and
furniture ages, we have to make changes
and update the facility,” Nalewjka said.
“Some may not like that it isn’t exactly
the same, but we did try to retain the
‘feel’ of the ‘Skeller. I believe we mostly
succeeded and were able to bring it up to
current codes for a business.”
| 21
Specifically, the iconic pop-art mural
painted by a former student was saved.
So was a big, round table filled with
messages and names carved by students
who were there during the joint’s earliest
days. Traditional gut-busting favorites
the ‘Skeller is known for, like ‘Deadbolt’
and ‘Lumberjack’ sandwiches, are still
there too. And of course, that catacomb
feel and those atmosphere-defining
arches pressing close overhead survive.
And the subterranean hangout is still
beloved by students. It still serves the
kind of comfort food you get cravings
for. It’s still open really late (or really early,
depending on your perspective), and it’s
still the place where those things you will
never forget happen.
“Students have a special place to call
their own, and they’ll remember the
‘SKELLER STATS
Nothing says popular like numbers—
just look at the demand for curly fries.
99
Student employees: . . . . . . 24-28
Official capacity: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Food options: . . . . . . . . . . . . over
(most-ordered being curly fries)
40
7
Types of paninis: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Types of burgers: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Per week, the ‘Skeller goes through:
190 lbs.
Mac ‘n cheese . . . . about 190 lbs.
Fresh produce . . . . . over 150 lbs.
Curly fries . . . . . . . . . over
Chicken tenders . . about
110 lbs.
105 lbs.
Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . over 100 lbs.
Bacon . . . . . . . . . . . . over
Rathskeller—the first time they tried a
‘Deadbolt’ or a ‘Skeller shake,” Nalewjka
said. “Not to mention the late nights they
spent with friends grabbing curly fries or
mac ‘n cheese at 1 a.m.”
Kathy Mullaney ’74 got a lot more than
fries out of the ‘Skeller.
“The memory that stands out the most
is the night WRUC did a remote broadcast
from the ‘Skeller,” said Mullaney, who
worked there and was involved with the
station. “At the end of the night we were
loading up the radio equipment into a
small pick-up truck and a friend broke her
ankle. She was whisked off to Ellis Hospital
ER, and Brian and I followed on foot.”
“It was during that walk that he asked
me to marry him,” she added, noting Brian
was manager of the ‘Skeller (working for
Saga Foods) during her senior year.
Today’s students, no doubt, will have
similar stories to share. They just won’t be
meeting their future spouses in exactly
the same setting many alumni recall.
And that’s pretty much okay with them.
“I’m glad it’s re-opened, when it was
closed people still came to Reamer
wanting all the ‘Skeller classics,” Dorothy
Hazan ’16 said. “Sometimes you just
crave comfort food, and then you thank
god you can go to the ‘Skeller! Plus, the
wings on Wednesday are pretty great.”
“It looks stunning,” she added. “It looks
clean and the lighting is nice. You almost
feel like you’re in a restaurant.”
This restaurant quality can be extended
to the old ‘Skeller, too, in a sense. The
underground haunt, it seems, has always
been defined by its un-campus-ness.
“Sad (and happy) to say, my very first
date ever was at the Rathskeller. He was a
senior and I was a sophomore and I
couldn’t believe he asked me out. I was
so nervous I choked on my burger,”
Kamasha Hendrickson ’00 recalled.
“The ‘Skeller was also the place my friends
and I would go on Friday nights. You were
on campus but felt like you were not
because it didn’t have a college feel to it. It
was a flashback to the old days—dark, with
a lot of character and a fun atmosphere.”
And this last—a fun atmosphere—is
something that hasn’t changed. Students
today might grab a ‘Deadbolt’ under
brighter lights, but they still love the
‘Skeller. They still change and learn and
laugh there. And they’ll still think of “The
Rat” with a smile years from now.
“I’ll always remember it as a place to
go when you’re out with friends and the
night is winding down,” Hazan said. “I’ve
had some great memories there, free
curly fries from a friend working behind
the counter included.”
| 23
Rain or
Coach Mary Ellen Burt, left, with golfer Emily Ferguson ’18
snow, we’re golfing
O
n one of Schenectady’s cold and
rainy late fall days, Emily
Ferguson ’18 is practicing with
her pitching wedge at Pebble Beach.
OK, not AT Pebble Beach. The
sophomore golf standout is actually in
the basement of Alumni Gymnasium,
where a converted racket court houses
Union’s golf simulator.
Emily loosens her arms as she sets
herself over the ball, takes a backswing,
and unleashes a stroke that sends the
ball off in a blur. A millisecond later, the
ball hits the projected screen with a
satisfying thud. Then the computer
takes over and—based on readings of the
ball’s speed and trajectory—places the
ball on the fairway as Emily prepares for
the next shot.
Coach Mary Ellen Burt replays each
of Emily’s swings in slow motion on a
monitor.
“See this line?” Burt says, tracing the
arc of the club shaft through Emily’s
swing. “She’s not moving much at all.
That’s good.” Burt draws a circle on the
screen around Emily’s head. Slowly
advancing the video, she sees that her
head scarcely moves. “You can see that
her head comes down just a little as she
dresses the ball, but that’s pretty good.”
Union inaugurated women’s golf in
2012 under Coach Burt, herself an elite
golfer whose recent tournament results
include the Northeast Women’s Golf
Association champion and Capital
District Open champion. (Burt is also the
highly successful head coach of women’s
basketball, with winning records in all
but one of the last 15 seasons.)
Women’s golf has a roster of nine
players who compete in fall and spring
tournaments in the Liberty League.
Opponents include Vassar, St. Lawrence,
William Smith, New York University,
Wellesley and Mount Holyoke.
As any northeast golfer knows, the
sport is at the mercy of the weather,
particularly in the spring. In 2014, after
a terrible winter that lingered well into
April, the golfers’ first ball hit outdoors
was at a tournament at Vassar College.
But thanks to the simulator, the players
were ready, having tested their skills on
15 challenging courses.
The door to the simulator room is
coded so that players can practice any
time. Burt can later call up each athlete’s
session to give feedback.
If the simulator is a game changer,
Burt and her athletes also know that
there’s nothing like the real thing.
The team has planned a training trip
to Florida for this spring.
For more on women’s golf and other
Union athletics, visit: www.union.edu/
athletics
| 25
focUs
Ever wonder what
Union professors
are up to when they
aren’t teaching?
Just about everything, as it turns out.
Nothing is beyond
their collective
reach or curious
minds. Here’s just
a glimpse of the
diverse and intriguing
work they do.
Glowing: A real
attention-grabber
Leo Fleishman, William D. Williams Professor
of Biological Sciences (With Brianna Ogas ’12,
David Steinberg, Duke University; Manuel
Leal, University of Missouri)
W
ant to stand out a little more?
Get noticed?
Try making yourself glow, it
seems to work for the Jamaican gray anole.
Okay, so Anolis lineatopus doesn’t actually
luminesce, it only appears to, but the
principle still holds, as Leo Fleishman and
his colleagues reported recently in the
journal of Functional Ecology.
Male lizards of this species, which reach
three to six inches in length, have colorful
throat fans (called dewlaps) that they use to
attract mates. The animals enhance the look
of their already vibrant fans with an optical
illusion.
Lizards, and people, are used to seeing
things like tree trunks, dirt and rocks that
reflect light and appear pretty dull, Fleishman
explained. But because the anoles have
translucent dewlaps, light passes through
them when the fans are extended. As a result,
the skin under the lizard’s chin seems to glow.
And this “glow” helps the reptiles stand
out in their shady home—but not necessarily
because they’re creating contrast with the
generally darker environment. There are,
after all, plenty of places in any forest where
equally bright things, like sunshine, radiate
through the vegetation.
“When light is transmitted through the
dewlap, it makes the color easier to distinguish from other colors in the environment,”
Fleishman said.
In other words, the sunset-orange that
male lizard’s sporting is clearer than similar
hues—maybe of that flower beside him. And
this means he’s less likely to get overlooked
by the females in the neighborhood.
— Erin DeMuth Judd
To learn more about Fleishman’s work, and see
an anole’s dewlap in action, visit https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=errevFcr01k. He was
also recently featured on WAMC’s “Academic
Minute” (wamc.org/programs/academic-minute).
Making music, the
Jennifer Milioto Matsue, associate
professor/director of interdisciplinary
programs
J
ennifer Matsue needed a book
on Japanese music that would
challenge her students, but not
alienate them with excessive jargon
and complicated terminology.
When she couldn’t find one, she
wrote her own.
Focus: Music in Contemporary
Japan, released this year by Routledge,
examines a wide range of music
performed in Japan today, from
traditional to popular styles, through
the lens of adaptation.
“Japanese have long been particularly adept at importing different
cultural expressions—language,
religion, arts—and making them their
own,” said Matsue, an ethnomusicologist who specializes in modern
Japanese music and culture. “This
book explores how Japanese express a
unique identity through adopting and
adapting imported music.”
One of many examples of this is
the koto, a long zither that originates
in China. The Japanese, Matsue
explained, absorbed the instrument
into their culture, making it quite a bit
longer than the Chinese variety and
tuning it differently. The position in
which the koto is played (seated on the
floor vs. on a stand) and the material
the strings are made from also differ.
This theme of adaptation runs
throughout the book, which is divided
into three parts.
“Part one explores how broader
Japanese cultural characteristics
inform the ways music is performed
and sounds. Part two really tries to
understand why Japanese music
sounds the way it does, first detailing
major musical elements and then
Japanese way
looking at what happens to Japanese
musical elements in the 20th century,
when Japanese and western music
combines,” Matsue said. “The third part
is an ethnographic study of percussion,
both classical and modern ensemble
taiko drumming, in the city of Kyoto.”
She hopes readers, and students, will
gain an understanding and appreciation of Japanese music.
“Music is important in every culture,
though it might mean something
different in each. Within Japan, it is
an important foci through which
Japanese negotiate their complicated
modern identity,” Matsue said.
“Throughout history, Japanese have
adapted musics from abroad to create
a unique identity, which is beautifully
illustrated through music.”
— Erin DeMuth Judd
Learn more about Matsue’s book, which
comes with a CD of Japanese music, at
https://www.routledge.com/products/
9781138791381
Investigating Maine’s
radioactive granite
Olivia Thurston '16 measures the radioactivity of granite at Partridge Pond in Amherst, Me.
John Garver, professor of geology
(with Matt Manon, lecturer, Matt
Worthington ’15 and Olivia Thurston ’16)
H
ancock County, along the scenic
mid-coast of Maine, is known for
evergreen forests, emerald lakes
and rolling blueberry fields. Less known,
however, is that it is one of several areas
in Maine that have a higher-than-average
occurrence of lung cancer that may be
linked to radioactive minerals.
Research by Prof. John Garver and his
students is showing that the region’s
iconic granite ledges may play a role by
producing radon, the radioactive gas
linked to lung cancer.
The Lucerne pluton is a 250-squaremile isosceles triangle of granite that
points about 50 miles northeast from its
base near Acadia National Park. The
intrusion of igneous rock, named for
the Swiss region that its landscape
resembles, was formed about 375 million
years ago.
Garver and his students have found
high levels of uranium, particularly along
cracks and fissures, which may facilitate
the seepage of radon to groundwater and
buildings. For some time scientists have
noted elevated levels of radon in buildings and well water, Garver said. Maine
was one of the first states to recognize
that high radon levels are linked to some
types of granite bedrock. This research is
focused on understanding the exact
source and path of the radon.
The researchers use a portable
gamma spectrometer to measure
radioactivity and understand the
distribution of potassium, uranium, and
thorium. Most of their measurements
have been taken along highway rock
cuts, mountain paths, and lake shorelines, where the granite is exposed.
In the lab, samples reveal uranium,
thorium, arsenic and other trace elements.
Using the National Science Foundationsupported scanning electron microscope, they can understand the problem
minerals that result in locally high levels
of uranium and radon.
“Hazard mitigation can only be
effective if you understand the science
behind the problem,” Garver said. “We
are trying to figure out the radioactivity
of the rocks so the hazard can be better
addressed in the future.”
— Charlie Casey
| 27
bookshelf
DANIEL R. SCHWARZ ’63
DR. ROBERT A. WARNER ’64
How to Succeed in
College and Beyond:
The Art of Learning
Optimizing the Display
and Interpretation of Data
Wiley Blackwell
Daniel Schwarz’s book will
prepare students, parents and
high school advisors for the
college experience and beyond,
by helping readers balance
the joy of learning with the
practicality of finding a career
path. It is an indispensable
book for anyone contemplating college and their families,
as well as for those already
admitted to and attending
college or thinking about
graduate school. Chapters
cover topics that include
preparing for college in
secondary school, the college
application and financial aid
processes, studying abroad,
planning for the future after
graduation, the pros and cons
of the Greek system, and the
value of studying the arts
and humanities. The final
chapter includes the author’s
perspective as a professor
who has won major teaching
prizes. Schwarz is the Frederic
J. Whiton Professor of
English and Stephen H. Weiss
Presidential Fellow at Cornell
University.
Elsevier
What information do these
data reveal? Is the information
correct? How can I make the
best use of the information?
The widespread use of
computers and our reliance on
the data generated by them
have made these questions
increasingly common and
important. Computerized
data may be in either digital
or analog form and may be
relevant to a wide range of
applications. In addition, the
data may represent either
single or multiple parameters.
Examining data in its initial
form is often very laborious
and also makes it possible to
“miss the forest for the trees”
by failing to notice patterns in
the data that are not readily
apparent. To address these
problems, this monograph
describes several accurate and
efficient methods for displaying, reviewing and analyzing
digital and analog data.
RAYMOND ANGELO
BELLIOTTI ’70
TIM CROSS ’73
Machiavelli’s Secret:
The Soul of the Statesman
One River Press
Albany: SUNY Press
The political statesman,
Machiavelli tells us, must love
his country more than his
own soul. Political leaders
must often transgress clear
moral principles, using
means that are typically
wrong, even horrifying.
What sort of inner life does a
leader who “uses evil well”
experience and endure? The
conventional view held by
most scholars is that a
Machiavellian statesman
lacks any “inwardness”
because Machiavelli did not
delve into the state of mind
one might find in a politician
with “dirty hands.” In this
book, Raymond Angelo
Belliotti uncovers a range of
clues in Machiavelli’s writings
that, when pieced together,
reveal that the Machiavellian
hero most certainly has
“inwardness” and is surely
deeply affected by the evil
means he must sometimes
employ.
The Architecture of Freedom
Exploring modern physics,
personal experience and
spirituality, this book outlines
a radically different way of
understanding our lives, our
universe and our being.
Whether or not we are aware
of it, what the majority of us
most desire is peace of mind
in each and every moment.
This experience becomes
available to all of us when we
learn how to live our lives
without “resistance” so that
we can then use our unique
gifts to follow our most
personal and joyful path.
The Architecture of Freedom
describes the personal
adventure and the process
that brought Tim Cross to
this realization. This book
grew unexpectedly from a
short letter the author began
writing to his daughters,
explaining his personal
perspective on life. It is
available from Amazon.com.
JOHN J. PITNEY ’77
The Politics of Autism:
Navigating the Contested
Spectrum
Rowman & Littlefield
In this book, political scientist
and public policy expert John
J. Pitney Jr. explains how
autism has evolved into a
heated political issue disputed
by scientists, educators, social
workers and families. Nearly
everything about autism is
subject to debate and struggle,
including its measurement
and definition. Organizational
attempts to deal with autism
have resulted in not a single
“autism policy,” but a vast
array of policies at the federal,
state, and local levels, which
often leave people with
autism and their families
frustrated and confused. This
look at how public policy is
made and implemented
offers networks of concerned
parents, educators and
researchers a compass to
navigate the current systems
and hope for a path towards
more regularized and effective
policies for America’s autism
community.
ELIZABETH VILLIERS
GEMMETTE ’79
GARY GLAUBER ’80
NATE FITCH ’93
Small Consolations
Law in Literature: Legal
Themes in American Stories:
1842-1917
Aldrich Press
Three books: Climbing:
From Gym to Rock;
Climbing: Protection;
Climbing: Knots
Self-published
The 20 stories included in the
anthology were written by
American authors, and each
explores legal themes and
issues. Among the tales are
“A Jury of Her Peers” (Susan
Glaspell), “Life in the Iron-Mills”
(Rebecca Harding Davis), “The
Godmother” (Kate Chopin),
“The Lynching of Jude Bensen”
(Paul Lawrence Dunbar),
“The Heroic Slave” (Frederick
Douglass) and “The Wife of
His Youth” (Charles W.
Chestnut). Works by other
writers, such as Edgar Allan
Poe, Herman Melville, Jack
London and Willa Cather,
are also included. Many of
these stories also share the
commonality of despondent
and desperate characters
who nevertheless are defiant
and determined to help
themselves and others
overcome the deplorable
conditions of their lives.
After nearly 200 individual
works published in a wide
array of journals and magazines, Small Consolations is
the first poetry collection
from writer and teacher Gary
Glauber. This collection
focuses on narratives and
these poems tell life stories
that focus on situations and
create snapshots of situations
both real and surreal. These
pieces explore the shifting
terrain of human experience,
a world alive with thought
and action, where we manage
the feat of being both present
and absent all at once. It is
available from Amazon.com.
Falcon Guides
This five-book instructional
rock climbing series consists
of educational works designed to help rock climbers
of all abilities develop their
skills and safely maximize
their climbing experiences.
Three titles, Climbing: Gym
to Rock, Climbing: Protection
and Climbing: Knots were
released in 2015, and two
titles will be released in early
2016—Climbing: Toproping
to Sport and Climbing: Sport
to Trad. The reader will gain
valuable skills and knowledge
to safely challenge themselves
and pursue/enjoy rock
climbing. Nate Fitch, a faculty
member in outdoor education
at the University of New
Hampshire, is co-author of
the series.
Bookshelf features new books written or edited by or about alumni
and other members of the Union community. To be included in
Bookshelf, send the book and the publisher’s press release to:
Office of Communications, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308
or send publisher’s press
release and a high-resolution book cover image to
[email protected].
| 29
U
President
Stephen C.
Ainlay and
Mrs. Judith
Gardner
Ainlay
attended a
reception
in Chicago
hosted by
Barry
MacLean.
s
The Capital
District Club
traveled to the
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
with Professor
John Cox for a
night with the
Philadelphia
Philharmonic.
s
s
Eric M. Levine ’81, pictured here,
enjoyed a special pop-up event
Oct. 14. Alums were invited, via
Instagram that morning, to stop
by the New York City Public
Library for some great Union
freebies—like water bottles and
mini Nott Memorials produced
with the College’s 3D printer.
Other alums in attendance
included William A. Friedman ’10,
Jessica A. Stein ’09, John Lovisolo
’89 and Blaise Ancona ’11.
s
Stephen Berk, the Henry
& Sally Schaffer Professor
of Holocaust & Jewish
Studies, gave a lecture at a
Washington, D.C. club
reception in October. His
talk was titled “Syria, Putin,
and Obama: Crisis in the
Middle East on the Hill.”
s
s
alumni clubs
Meredith
Crawford ’10,
Aaron Lazar ’05,
Daniel Kirsch’05,
William Harney
’15 attended the
Boston Club
Welcome to the
City event.
Terra Conlon ’02, Chris
Holinger ’00, Chris Bourke
’10, Ariel Pasch ’02, Elizabeth
Litwin ’10, Elizabeth Johnson
’08, Erin McLaughlin ’07,
Erin M. McLaughlin ’07,
Allison Cuozzo ’10, Christina
Cerqueira ’10 and Jaqui Smith
’13 attended a San Francisco
Bay Club Happy Hour.
s
Juan Rijfkogel ’12, William Hernandez ’08 and Alexander
Indig ’13 join alumni in New York City at the annual Welcome
to the City event, this year welcoming the Class of 2015.
Building Our Third Century
UPCOMING
ALUMNI CLUB
EVENTS
FEB. 19, 2016
Men’s hockey viewing
Philadelphia, Penn.
FEB. 25, 2016
Founder’s Day
On-campus & online
FEB. 25, 2016
Alumni career panel
Boston, Mass.
MARCH 2, 2016
Presidential reception
Albany, N.Y.
MARCH 8, 2016
Minerva Fellows discussion
New York, N.Y.
MARCH 9, 2016
2016 presidential
campaign (discussion)
Union College
For more, visit
uconnect.union.edu
A gift was received from the
estate of Joseph D. Martin,
Class of 1953. This gift,
along with previous distributions, was directed to the
Joseph D. Martin Endowed
Pre-Med Fund.
Proceeds from a life insurance
policy, as well as a remainder
distribution, were received
from the estate of Gary K.
Price, Class of 1945. Reverend
Price had established three
charitable gift annuities with
the College. Proceeds
established the Reverend
Gary K. Price ’45 Scholarship
with preference to students
from the State of Maine and
second preference for those
students studying the
classics. Reverend Price was
an Episcopal minister.
A trust distribution was
received from the estate of C.
Rolland Oswald and added
to the C. Rolland Oswald &
Dorothy C. Oswald Endowed
Fund, a scholarship fund
established with earlier
proceeds from the estate of
his spouse, Dorothy. Mr. and
Mrs. Oswald were friends
of the College and long-time
residents of Schenectady.
Proceeds were gifted in
memory of their daughter,
Karen Oswald Janaitis.
A bequest distribution was
received from the estate of
Isabel K. Arms. Proceeds
established the Clarence S.
Arms Scholarship in memory
of her father, Clarence S. Arms,
Class of 1905.
A remainder distribution was
James J. Gibney. Mr. and Mrs.
Gibney were friends of Union
who established a charitable
gift annuity with the College.
Proceeds will be used to
support Union athletics.
A bequest distribution was
David J. Bigda. Proceeds will
be used for a purpose to be
determined.
A gift was received from the
estate of Edgar R. Butts,
Class of 1950. Proceeds will be
used at the discretion of the
trustees. Mr. Butts received
his degree in electrical
engineering and worked in
the gas and electric field.
Naomi Chambers, to be added
to the Walter R.G. and Naomi
Baker Scholarship. Mrs.
Chambers was the widow of
Walter R.G. Baker, Class of 1916.
In support of the Union
College Annual Fund, a trust
distribution was received
from the estate of Robert L.
Slobod, Class of 1935.
received from the estate
of Florence L. Judkins, to
be added to the Ernest L.
& Florence L. Judkins
Scholarship to support an
annual scholarship.
memory of her husband in
support of students studying
modern languages and/or
history.
A remainder distribution was
Mason Kronick, Class of 1942.
Mr. Kronick established two
charitable gift annuities with
the College. Proceeds will be
used in support of the Annual
Fund. Mr. Kronick received
his degree in chemistry and
worked for General Electric
Company, retiring in 1982.
CHARITABLE GIFT
ANNUITIES were
established by:
• Robert E. Yung, Class of
1948. The remainder of this
gift will be added to the
United States Navy V12/V5
Endowed Scholarship.
• Kenneth F. Greenough,
Class of 1954. The remainder of this gift will establish
the Kenneth F. Greenough
Endowed Scholarship.
• Richard A. Genthner, Class
of 1952. The remainder
of this gift will be used to
support scholarships.
A bequest was received from
the estate of Grace Elaine
Munzer. Along with an earlier
remainder distribution,
proceeds will be added to the
Hans W. Munzer ’39 Memorial
Scholarship Fund, a fund
she established years ago in
| 31
the classes
the classes and profiles
Garnet Guard
Alumni who have celebrated
their 50th ReUnion.
GARNET GUARD
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Bob Howe ’58
135 Chevy Chase Dr.
Wayzata, Minn. 55391
[email protected]
1938
John Wold was featured in
the Casper Journal recently.
The story focused on his
60-year career with the
business he founded in
Wyoming, Wold Oil Properties Inc., and the contributions he’s made beyond the
commercial mineral industry
in philanthropy and politics.
For these successes, John
and Wold Oil were recognized
with this year’s Energy Pioneer
award from the Wyoming
Natural Gas Fair Association.
1947
Howard Halpern recalls his
days at Union, remembering
many classes and professors
important to his education
and career, and how Union
was later just as important to
his daughter. “The first ReUnion
I was able to attend was my
25th. I brought my wife and
our oldest daughter, Nina,
along. Nina decided to go to
Union and entered in the first
class in which females lived
on campus. She graduated in
three years (Class of 1975) and
then went to law school,
becoming the first female
attorney at a local law firm in
Connecticut, where we lived.
Nina then got an advanced
degree in tax law and lived
overseas in Israel, working for
the Israeli Justice Department.
She works with the FBI and
European governments on
criminal extradition cases. In
my own career, I used the
knowledge I gained in an
optics course at Union to help
design radar antennas used in
military systems. I worked
(1947-1990) on varied programs
for our national defense,
including delivery of nuclear
weapons by InterContinental
Ballistic Missiles and aircraft
and defenses against this.”
1950
Wilfried A. Hofmann writes,
“It is now 65 years ago that I
came to Union, in 1950/51,
delivered by the American
occupation forces in Germany.
On campus, I was put up at
the Psi Upsilon fraternity
house, following courses in
sociology, economics, German
history, and labor law. After
this year at Union, I hitch-hiked
to Florida, ending up in a
frightening car crash caused
by uninsured but drunk
people. I survived, although
with a broken jaw and 19 teeth
knocked out. On my way back,
I stopped in Washington, D.C.,
visiting the German Desk of
the Department of State. What
today sounds incredible: They
gave me a letter promising
that the United States will
cover all costs of my surgical
and dental treatment (which
they did). After having spent
several weeks with a marvelous
dentist in my home town,
Aschaffenburg (near Frankfurt),
I was capable to pursue a law
career in Munich and diplomatic school in Bonn. My
profession took me to Algeria,
Morocco, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, and France. In the
process, I married an
American Indian lady (who
bore me a son called Chaské),
a Turkish one, and a ballerina
from Bulgaria. And now, at
the age of 83, I realize how
much Union still means to me.”
F. Lloyd Kieran writes, “I have
recently moved to Central
Point, Ore. to be nearer my
elder son. I’ve left Southern
California, after living there
for about 30 years, for a new
‘adventure.’ Best wishes to all
in the Class of ’50.”
1951
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
James Taub
711 S. Market St.
Johnstown, N.Y. 12095
(518) 762-1172
1952
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Dr. Arthur Stockman
3142 21st Court West
Bradenton, Fla. 34205
(941) 345-4590
[email protected]
1953
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Garrett Murphy
7 Maxwell Street
Albany, N.Y. 12208-1607
[email protected]
(518) 438-7319
Robert Dorse writes, “The
second edition of my book,
Bob’s Tales, is now available
on Amazon Kindle. It includes
a chapter about Union.”
El Harp, upon hearing of the
death of Ed Hicks, wrote the
following letter to Ed to
express our respect and
affection. “Dear Ed, this letter
is from your classmates at
Union College, Class of 1953.
You were such a great friend
to all of us, and so very
involved with your college
life. We remember your being
the editor of The Garnet (our
graduation yearbook),
chairman of the Board of
Managers, president of the
Cosmopolitan Club, and so
many other college and
community activities. Since
graduation you continued to
be a great help and resource
for our class ReUnions, and
we elected you to be our class
president at our 60th ReUnion
in 2013. But most of all we
remember your friendship,
kindness and helpfulness.
Every activity and meeting
was better with your presence. You have given each of
us great memories, and we
are so pleased that we have
had you as our friend. God
bless, your Union classmates”
Phil Metzger is retired in
Youngsville, N.C. with his life
partner, Shirley Potter. He
writes, “After my time at Union,
I spent a couple years in the
Air Force, then 15 years at IBM
in computer programming,
and finally, 35 years painting
and writing. What saved my
financial butt during slow
times were the books I wrote.
The first, in 1970, was Managing
a Programming Project. It was
based on what I learned at
IBM and sold well in three
editions. Then came a series
of art technique books, most
of which sold well. Along
with everything else I taught
watercolor classes in Rockville,
Md. Our four great kids
(from my first marriage) are
scattered from California to
Connecticut, Long Island,
and Maryland. Thanks to Ellie
Harp, I’ve been back in touch
with a few old classmates.
When the Union magazine
hope to get on w/ their lives
of volunteering, biking,
tennis and golf.
Phil Metzger ’53
arrives, I go right to the ’53
class and several on both
sides of ’53 looking for names
I remember. I wish more of
our class would write—it’s
pretty amusing to read that
someone seemingly destined
for, let’s say, physics, ends up
a missionary in China.”
Garrett Murphy writes, “Once
again, our class has been
given an award for its
performance in the Minerva
Footrace. Under the leadership
of El Harp, the Class of 1953
was tops among the fifties.
Several of our classmates,
Joe Barone, Charles and
Dottie Little, El and Elsie
Harp and Dave and Susanna
Lent, attended the awards
presentation in the Nott.”
1954
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Avrom J. Gold
40 Conger Street, Apt. 709B
Bloomfield, N.J. 07003
[email protected]
Not something recommended
for someone in their 80s, but
Jim and Betts Groff moved
from their condo in Raleigh,
N.C., and their three story
home in Southern Shores, N.C.,
to a single story ranch on a
golf course, also in Southern
Shores. Downsizing from
6000 sq. feet to less than 3000
sq. feet requires a great deal of
sorting, donating, trashing
and yard sales, as all who have
done it are aware. Soon they
Dr. Ken Greenough writes, “I
have always been impressed
with the obvious enthusiasm
that Union’s alumni representatives have shown in
discussing the ongoing
changes and activities that are
taking place at Union during
their annual alumni visits.
These visits have helped keep
me informed of Union’s
broad range of public events
and college related activities
and advances being made in
Union’s Chemistry Department, where I earned my BS
degree in in 1954. There is no
doubt that these interactions
rekindled a strong feeling of
identity with Union that I had
not felt for many years since
my graduation. And as a result,
with Gift Planning Office
guidance and counsel, I
decided to add to my current
alumni support to Union by
means of a charitable gift
annunity and a chemistry
scholarship endowment. I am
pleased to have the opportunity
to give back to Union what
Union gave me so long ago.”
Tom Weill writes that he is
still horseback riding on the
Biltmore estate in Asheville,
N.C., at least three times a
week, and continues to
publish papers relating to
hospitals, as in the past.
Phil Beuth and his wife, Mary,
continue activities with
family and travel all over the
country, and community in
Naples, Fla., making regular
visits to their villa in St. Maarten.
Norm Scull writes that he’s
feeling great, still recovering
from a foot fracture, but
doing well in Santa Fe, N.M.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
By Molly Congdon ’12
B
urk Ketcham ’48 was the oldest participant at the
FISA World Masters Rowing Championships (held in
Belgium Sept. 10-13) at the impressive age of 90.
He is justifiably pleased with his performance.
He competed in two- and four-man boats in the
regatta, which included about 3,500 rowers from age 27
and older, and won two medals.
“You only get a medal for first place in these races,”
Ketcham said. “I’m the world champion in K2X and the
K4X. I was proud to do this at the age of 90.”
Even though Ketcham gave up driving when he felt
his vision wasn’t quite up to snuff, he still makes moves
on the water. His interest in the sport was sparked many
years ago.
“Back around 1979, I saw an article in the Boston
Globe—I lived in Cohasset, Massachusetts then—that
rowing was a sport that you could keep up in old age,”
Ketcham said. “I was 54 at the time and I thought maybe
I would give it a try, but at the same time my wife came
down with cancer so I decided it wasn’t a good time for
me to try something new.”
Sadly, she passed away 10 years later.
“A few years after that I saw another article in the
paper about a Cohasset man who liked to teach people
how to row, so I got in touch with him and I started
rowing. I was 67,”Ketcham said. “I never did this in college.
Right after the war there was no rowing at Union, as
there is now.”
In 1997, he moved to Seattle and continued to pursue
his passion by competing with Seattle clubs. This
pastime—since he started competing in the FISA World
Masters Rowing Championships back in 2006—has also
taken him around the world to places like Scotland,
Croatia, Canada, Austria, Poland and Italy.
“Rowing is a great exercise; in a way it can be quite
spiritual,” Ketcham said. “I’ve also made a lot of friends all
over the world.”
| 33
the classes
Bob Richter emails that he
and Gladys are doing well.
Although retired from active
surgical practice for the past
15 years, he continues to
teach one day a week and has
a “modestly successful
second incarnation as a
woodworker. Commissions
gleefully accepted.”
Ross Saddlemire is still
working full-time with the FFA,
with oversight of training
programs for 10 airlines.
Marc Shoobe is a full-time
resident of Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
and regularly emails Avrom
Gold on interesting subjects
(mostly humorous).
Avrom Gold writes, “Rick Fink
and I had our most memorable
semi-annual lunch in San
Antonio in September, where
he and Marion continue to be
active with family and community. We’ll meet again in April.
I visit my daughter twice a
year in San Antonio, where
she is an executive with USAA.”
1955
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Ken Haefner
1346 Waverly Pl.
[email protected]
Morton F. Silver writes, “As
CEO of Orda Management
Corporation, I am in the midst
of a major renovation of two
large office buildings covering
an entire block front on Park
Avenue South in New York
City near Union Square. The
buildings were the headquarters of the Port Authority of
NY & NJ since shortly after
9/11/2001. The Port recently
vacated most of the property
to return to the World Trade
Center, making it possible for
us to do this complete modernization. Among other amenities, we are creating roof
gardens on both buildings, an
atrium joining the two buildings and two new lobbies.
Interest in leasing has been
brisk and we are achieving
rental rates consistent with
Class A office buildings in
Midtown South. I have become
a member of the Garnet Blades,
a friend of Coach Rick Bennett,
and a proud and generous
supporter of the Union Hockey
Team. I watch all of their home
games on streaming TV. Its
accomplishments have been
nothing short of astonishing.”
1956
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS
Dr. Alan Greene
241 Perkins St. H401
Boston, Mass. 02130
Martin Stein
1107 Pipestem Place
Potomac, Md. 20854
[email protected]
Home (301) 340-7060
Cell (301) 237-0970
Alfred J. Nadel writes, “Three
works of mine, one mixed
media drawing and two large
polaroid emulsion transfers,
were in a show at the Wikoff
Student Gallery in recognition
of the LGBTQ community at
the College. The show ran
May-June and one of the
images was selected by The
Daily Gazette (June 6) for their
weekend edition of exhibitions.
The show was on during the
ReUnion weekend and was
seen by a number of those
attending. My wife and I have
also established the Sybil and
Alfred Nadel Art Acquisition
Fund to help build the College
art collection. We invite
classmates and all alumni to
consider a contribution of
any sum toward the purchase
of works of art. Those
interested can contact me
directly or can contact Ms.
Julie Lohnes, the curator.”
Bob Hodges writes, “To all
1956ers: Our 60th ReUnion will
be coming up on May 20-22.
Please mark your calendar
for 2016. Your 60th ReUnion
Planning Committee has
been formed, met on October
1, formed subcommittees,
and is already at work in
planning. Members are Byng
Huntington, Roger Likewise,
Al Southwick, Jerry Snover,
Marty Stein and myself. We’re
planning a special event for
56ers that will include a visit
to a college facility that you
probably have never seen
before. Watch for our Class of
1956 Newsletter for details,
and keep checking in at
uconnect.union.edu/1956.
Please let any of us or the
college know via uconnect
that you plan to attend, so
that we can size the venue for
our Class Dinner. Don’t miss
this ReUnion. It is going to be
a great one!”
1957
James R. Fisher
172 Patriot’s Crook
Martinsville, Va. 24112
[email protected]
Paul Mohr
140 E Duce of Clubs Ste A
Show Low, Ariz. 85901
[email protected]
John Van Voris was named to
the 2016 Best Lawyers in
America list in the corporate
law practice area. John, who
works in the GrayRobison
firm’s Tampa, Fla., office, has
been named to Best Lawyers
since 1999.
Dr. Howard Voss was recently
honored by Florida State
University, College of
Medicine, with the Guardian
of the Mission award. The
accolade is given yearly to a
faculty member for furthering
FSU’s mission to educate and
develop exemplary physicians
who practice patient-centered
health care, discover and
advance knowledge, and are
responsive to community
needs, especially through
service to elder, rural,
minority, and underserved
populations. Howard has
been a clinical assistant
professor for the Fort Pierce
Regional Campus since 2008.
He is also volunteer medical
director at the Volunteers in
Medicine clinic in Stuart,
which strives to meet the
health and wellness needs of
the medically underserved
population of Martin County.
1958
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Richard T. Steinbrenner
9 Hunters Trail
Warren, N.J. 07059-7105
[email protected]
Robert Howe writes, “After a
refreshing two weeks with
Sondra in Berlin and Dresden,
and cruising the Main and
Rhine Rivers, I returned to
attend Homecoming with
Dave Horton and watch the
Dutchmen outskate Boston
University (then #3) at Messa
Rink. Look out for Vermont!”
Gene Cacciamani writes,
“Have had a good year
travelling; skiing in Vancouver,
Canada and Austria; vacationed in St. John V.I. with my
son’s family and just recently
spent two weeks in France to
tour the Normandy beaches
(with a guide) and the
surrounding areas including,
Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and
Bayeux—finally winding
down in Paris, which is one
of our favorite cities.”
1959
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
William D. “Dal” Trader
5361 Santa Catalina Avenue
Garden Grove, Calif. 92845
[email protected]
[email protected]
(310) 629-8971
Alumni from the Class of 1961 (Kappa Sigma pledge class of 1957),
enjoy their annual get together, held this year at the Harbor Hotel,
1000 Islands, Clayton, N.Y. From left to right are Dave Muench, Bob
Hurlbutt, Bill Marx, Don Crist, Bill Reaman and John Welch.
George Scott writes, “My
wife Elena and I live in Fort
Washington, Md., right off
I-95 near National Harbor/
Gaylord Convention Center/
Tangier Outlets. Would like to
hear from or meet alumni in
the area. My phone number
is 301-567-1796; e-mail
[email protected]. I am
retired U.S. Government
(human resources). I am
almost finished writing a book
on WWI combat experiences
of my father; it is in last
stages of review by relatives.
Project took much longer
than originally planned.
It is intended for younger
generations. I am considering
self-publication.”
1960
Charles Roden
[email protected]
1961
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Bill Condon
1365 Van Antwerp Road, Apt. I-91
Niskayuna, N.Y. 12309
[email protected]
(518) 382-1096
Rodger Gregory writes, “Had a
wonderful one-week vacation
in Romania this past May with
Dr. Eric Gregory of Juelich,
Germany. Very relaxing and
very good value.”
1962
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Ollie R. Bunch
63 Silver Lining Way
Hendersonville, N.C. 28792
(860) 480-9116
Ollie Bunch has relocated to
Hendersonville, N.C. after
70-plus years in the Northeast.
He writes, “The warmer
weather and more reasonable
living costs were too much
to resist.”
1963
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
George Ball
6929 Country Line Road
Wayland, N.Y. 14572-9553
[email protected]
1964
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Anton Warde
36 Two Lights Rd.
Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107
[email protected]
1965
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jon Lechevet, Ph.D.
206 Cross Road
Edmeston, N.Y. 13335-2610
[email protected]
The family of David Mann ’66: From left, back row, are Allan Mann
(son), David Mann, Seth Mann (grandson), Nathaniel Mann (grandson),
Sandi Mann (wife), Heather Mann (daughter), Beth MacRae (daughter).
From left, front row, are Gideon Mann (grandson), Anna Mann
(granddaughter), Abigail Mann (granddaughter). Not pictured are
grandchildren Ian MacRae, Noah MacRae and Jonah Mann.
1966
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Antonio F. Vianna
7152 Tanager Drive
Carlsbad, Calif. 92011-5033
[email protected]
Antonio F. Vianna writes,
“Our Class of 1966 ReUnion
will be May 20-22, 2016 and a
committee has been planning
a memory-filled weekend.
Hopefully you will attend, so
mark your calendar, reserve
your hotel room, and complete
the bio questionnaire at
https://unioncollegeny.wufoo.
com/forms/1966-50threunion-yearbook-form/. You
will be sent more information
as it becomes available.
Should you want to contact
any member of the Planning
Committee, here are their
names/e-mails: Chip Bacon
([email protected]),
Andy Carlson (ganders01@
gmail.com), Bob DeMichele
(rdemichele@strategyasset.
com), Larry Fabian (lfabian@
lfabianlaw.com), Charlie
Fischer (charles.fischer1024@
gmail.com), Joel King
([email protected]), Joe
Sawyer ([email protected]),
Jim Taylor (seamus@taylor
madegroup.com), Ray Teed
([email protected]),
Jan Werner (janowerner@
hotmail.com), and myself
([email protected]).
Looking forward to seeing
you at our 50th.”
David Mann writes, “After my
Ph.D. in experimental physics
at RPI, I worked at Rice
University and Los Alamos
Labs. Then I switched to
programming and worked for
Schlumberger for 30 years.
Then I became a consultant
in the oil industry. Now I run
several groups.
1967
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Joseph Smaldino
6310 Lantern Ridge Lane
Knoxville, T.N. 37821
[email protected]
(815) 762-5984
Robert Stolzberg writes, “I am
still working full-time. After
my law partner died five years
ago, I closed my firm and
went solo. I like being
responsible for myself and
| 35
the classes
A MAN OF MYCOLOGY
W
hen he graduated from Union in 1966,
Rodham E. Tulloss was profiled in this
magazine as “something of a Renaissance
man [who has] shown a dazzling versatility.”
His trajectory has continued. Fifty years
later, the trained mathematician is in his
fourth career, this time as a world-renowned
mycologist.
He was profiled last year in a Scientific
American article which cited his success in
identifying rare mushrooms and his astounding collection of amanitas, the fungi group
that includes the edible Caesar’s mushroom
(Amanita caesarea) and the aptly-named,
poisonous death cap (Amanita phalloides).
He has documented mushrooms so
rarely reported that they appear to have
been seen only once or twice in the past
50 years. His collection, which he keeps in a
climate-controlled converted garage at his
New Jersey home, is said to be one of the
most diverse in the world. At last count, he
says, he had over 7,000 collections of the
Amanita family (Amanitaceae) alone.
Between Union and today, Tulloss earned
a doctorate from the Group in Logic and
the Methodology of Science from Berkeley.
He spent 25 years as an engineer at AT&T,
where he was a distinguished member of the
technical staff and a fellow of Bell Laboratories. He continued to write poetry. He served
as founder and president of a non-profit to
preserve open space, farm land, and historic
sites in the New Deal utopian community of
Roosevelt, N.J., where he lives.
Mycology started as a hobby almost
40 years ago when he tried to identify a mushroom in his backyard. “I thought identifying
mushrooms would be like birdwatching,” he
recalls. “So I went to the library and borrowed
their books. But it was very frustrating
because many mushrooms are not in field
guides and have not been named.”
Not satisfied with his situation, he set
out to identify and classify as many species
as he could. Today, he is highly-regarded in
the field of mycology, and a frequent
collaborator with scientists around the world.
His work with evolutionary biologists at
Harvard showed that amanitas evolved from
getting the carbon needed for life by digesting dead plant matter on their own to a
symbiotic relationship with trees that now
supply them carbon in the form of sugar.
He is an honorary research associate at the
New York Botanical Garden. He has worked
with mycologists at universities on every
continent except Antarctica.
Identifying fungi is difficult for two
reasons: there are an estimated 1.5 million
species (with less than 100,000 named), and
mushrooms, very much like fruits, are
ephemeral products of the fungus that
produces them. And with more genera than
researchers, a lot of work remains.
As a student at Union, Tulloss pursued an
eclectic range of interests. “I was going to
college one time,” he said, “so I wanted to
get as much as I could out of it.”
He started in chemistry, but switched
majors after he was taken with the logic of
mathematics and the reasoning of philosophy.
An avid writer and poet, he served three years
as editor of the Idol. He acted in Mountebanks.
He organized a poetry reading against the
Vietnam War. He graduated as class
salutatorian with a collection of awards
including the Bailey Cup and almost every
prize available for writing and poetry.
Years out of college, his appreciation for
the connections between disciplines is
stronger than ever: “It all seems to be one big
subject in some way,” he said—a kind of
aesthetic that bridges the physical and art
worlds.
He plans to continue his quest to find
the small distinguishing characteristics that
separate the many species of amanitas.
“I’ve been annoyed that people say the
devil is in the details,” he said. “When you look
at the details of living things, they're beautiful;
and there’s nothing satanic about it.”
no one else, and much of the
work is still fun: appellate,
business litigation, malpractice,
mediations, strategizing,
expert-witnessing. I enjoy
many things outside of the law.
I have travelled to over 90
countries and during my 60s
reached the heights (climbing
Kilimanjaro) and the depths
(diving the Blue Hole, swimming in the Dead Sea). I took
up pick-up hockey in my
mid-50s. I play tennis on
grass and have actually won
a few tournaments. I had a
public affairs radio talk show
and would love to get
another. What could be more
fun than an extended
interview with Donald Trump
about immigration (or hair
styling) or Alan Dershowitz
about Israel? There is family.
After some false starts, I have
gotten it right, with a wonderful wife and son. They are
both different from me in
some ways (who would have
thought that I would have a
son who doesn’t like to travel?).
But what really counts is that
they have the best values I
can imagine. And it is hard to
feel old when you are hanging
out with a 23-year-old, even
if he does refer to my wife
and me as ‘the old people.’ All
of which is pretty good, but
there is one thing that does
truly make me feel old: more
people in my life have died in
the last 10 years than in the
previous 50, including my
oldest friend and my cousin.
They were my age; I just can’t
wrap my head around the loss.
Every year I go to the national
grass court 90+ tennis
championship. If they can
keep moving on, so will I.”
Frank Darmiento writes, “I
published a book about my
experiences as a Peace Corps
volunteer after graduating
from Union in 1967. Bolivia
30: Life as a Peace Corps
Volunteer in the 1960s is a
At the College’s annual Veteran’s
Day breakfast, from left, emcee
Tad Knight ’68, Erin Besch ’19
(ROTC), keynote speaker Greg
Walters ’97 and Stephen
Hoeprich ’16 (ROTC)
memoir that includes my
experiences and incorporates
stories and anecdotes from
other Peace Corps volunteers
I served with in Bolivia. The
book, written over 30 years,
started as a collection of
anecdotes from my fellow
volunteers.
It includes historical events
from July 1967 to August
1969: the Vietnam War, the
the capture and execution of
Che Guevara in Bolivia and
the assassinations of Martin
Luther King and Robert
Kennedy. The book is available
from Amazon and Kindle.”
David Gordon ’76 and Fred Weil
’75 (pictured) took part in the
NYC 5 Boro Ride on May 3, a
Gates Whitaker ’69, center, and
wife Mary visited with Jeff Smith
’68 at a gas well near Snyder,
Texas. Jeff is the consulting
geologist on this project and
others in the area. 2015.
1968
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
John Dresser
Etna, N.H.
[email protected]
Frank “Tad” Knight, a veteran
of the U.S. Air Force, hosted
the College’s annual Veteran’s
Day breakfast in November.
He was joined by keynote
speaker Greg Walters ’97, a
U.S. Navy veteran, and ROTC
students Erin Besch ’19 and
Stephen Hoeprich ’16.
1969
Ray Pike
Salisbury, Mass.
[email protected]
George Cushing
Delanson, N.Y.
[email protected]
1970
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Frank Donnini
239 Rushlake Ct.
Newport News, Va. 23602-6348
[email protected]
Bolivia 30: Life as a Peace Corps
Volunteer in the 1960s by Frank
Darmiento ’67
Len Simon, who lives in San
Diego, has recently seen (for
the first time in a long time)
Bob Ottaviano ’70, his grandson Rob Catharine ’16, wife Connie,
and granddaughter Victoria Catharine (Union Graduate College ’16)
enjoyed Homecoming 2015 this past fall.
two classmates, Rich Gilman
and Craig Carlson. Rich
recently moved to Palm Springs
from Norman, Okla., and
visited San Diego with his
wife, Karyn, in the fall. Craig
moved to San Diego from San
Francisco last year. Craig and
his wife, Therese, have gotten
together with Len and his wife,
Candy, several times in the
past year. Always nice to
catch up with classmates. Len
continues to practice law part
time, teach law, write about
sports and the law, and work
on his golf game.
Frederic “Fred” McNally
writes, “Living in Manayunk
neighborhood of Philadelphia,
where the bridge trail over the
river just opened to add
another daily hiking opportunity for my exercise, which is
a good thing. Doing my best
to stir up trouble with letters
to campaign teams with
solutions to their problems.
Free advice is usually ignored
without some donation
enclosed, which gets you on
their donors list and you can’t
get off. As with Martin O’Malley,
a hopeless candidate in 2016.”
1971
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Henry Fein, M.D.
1106 Cedrus Way
Rockville, Md. 20854
[email protected]
Christopher Swan writes,
“Enjoying retirement since
retiring in 2013 after 37 years
at Northeast Utilities in
Connecticut. My wife, Carol,
and I have travelled each year
to the Netherlands to visit and
spend time with our daughter
Emily, who is married to a
Dutch national and has two
daughters, Esmée and
Matilda. We also regularly
travel out to the Troy, Mich.,
area to visit our son and his
wife and three children,
Trevor, Maren and Corinne,
who are very involved with
youth soccer year round.
We still live in our hometown,
Westport, Conn., where we
enjoy sailing and kayaking
in the warmer weather out on
Long Island Sound and we
escape winter by spending
time in Venice, Fla., also
known as the Sharktooth
Capital of the World, renowned
for its pristine beaches full
of shells, sand dollars and
shark’s teeth.”
Jerome “Jerry” Levine writes,
“After spending four years in
N.C., we have returned to
Northern N.J. I am now working for Morristown Medical
Center (Atlantic Health) as
their senior physician
advisor. My family is doing
well, including my two grandchildren and all four kids!”
| 37
the classes
Last month we finally had that
opportunity. Laurie came to
San Francisco to visit her son,
who is working out here. I have
been living near San Francisco
since 1992. We had a great day
catching up and decided we
wouldn’t let another 40 years
pass until our next visit.”
Kathy Hughes Baird ’75 with her
niece, Shannon Hughes ’15, and
brother, Garry Hughes ’79
Jill Wegenstein ’76 and Laurie
Calmus Kritzer ’76
This fall, Len Solomon and
Peter Milski ’66 both appeared
in the musical “Sweeney
Todd” at the Orleans Academy
Playhouse in Cape Cod.
Multivar, LLC, which offers
management and technical
consulting services to the
construction and power
industries worldwide. He has
also served as the New York
representative for the
International Accreditation
Service since 2011.
1973
1974
women at Union, that 40
years to the day, I would have
a niece graduating from my
alma mater. Or, that I would
(38 years later) finally marry
my college sweetheart and
move to the same city as my
freshman roommate, Rita
Morandi Harper! Loved being
back on campus and meeting
up with friends and faculty
from back in the day.”
Dr. Marc Maller writes, “I am a
practicing geriatrician and
the medical director of the
community living centers for
the Veterans Administration
Healthcare of Western New
York, which operates facilities
in Buffalo and Batavia. I am
also a member of the teaching
faculty of the physician
assistant training program at
RIT in Rochester and Le Moyne
College in Syracuse. My wife,
Cathy, my daughter, Brandi,
and my granddaughter, Ana
Rose, all live in Rochester. My
son Aaron, an architect, lives
in Dallas.”
Estelle Cooke-Sampson was
recently featured in a USA
Today story about babies
given up after the Korean
War. Cooke-Sampson, like
many others, was a mixedrace baby born in Korea and
given up for adoption. A
radiologist at Howard University Hospital, she is working
with Me & Korea, an organization looking to help reunite
adoptees with their American
G.I. fathers. Estelle serves on
Union’s Board of Trustees.
Lawrence J. O’Connor was
recently elected president of
the New York State Society of
Professional Engineers, an
organization that advocates
licensure, promotes the
ethical, competent and lawful
practice of engineering, and
enhances the image and
interests of its members and
the engineering profession.
He is managing director of
Kathy Hughes Baird writes,
“All in one weekend (and two
weeks after my 40th ReUnion),
I retired after 38 years with
the same company and
attended the Union graduation
of my niece Shannon Hughes,
Class of 2015, with her dad,
my brother Garry Hughes,
Class of 1979. I never imagined
when I set foot on campus in
1971, in the second class of
Frank Allocca ’73 and John
Donohue ’73 attend the
wedding of their niece, Katie
Allocca, in Marietta, Ga.
1972
1975
1978
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jeff Laniewski
[email protected]
1976
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jill Schneier Wegenstein
228 Lexington Dr.
Menlo Park, C.A. 94025
[email protected]
(650) 464-0083
Beta Theta Pi graduates
spotted in Saratoga this past
summer included Harry
Hayes, John Mayer ’77, John
Fildes ’77, Pete McManus ’78,
Fran Sullivan ’78, A.J. Audet
’78, Martin Tagliaferro,
Christian Rausch and Tom
Carrig. Sullivan and McManus
prevailed in the Irish Open at
the Saratoga Spa Course. The
seventh annual Beta Theta Pi
Open will be held in Myrtle
Beach in April 2016.
Jill (Schneier) Wegenstein
writes, “Laurie Calmus Kritzer
and I reconnected a few years
ago via Facebook. We had gone
to school together from kindergarten on but hadn’t seen each
other since Union graduation.
1979
Dr. Matthew S. Kayne and
Dr. Steven J. Tuckman ’82
practice dentistry at Clifton
Dental Associates in Clifton,
N.J. Both earned doctorates in
medical dentistry from the
University of Pennsylvania
School of Dental Medicine,
and have been recognized in
New Jersey Monthly as “Top
Dentists of 2004-2005,”
selected among America’s
Best Dentists 2004-2005, and
voted as top dentists by the
Consumers’ Research Council
of America.
1980
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Richard Budd
Stefan Zavodnika 25
971 01 Prievidza, Slovak Republic
[email protected]
The 2016 edition of The Best
Lawyers in America recognized
Brooks Pierce attorney
Mack Sperling as a leader in
commercial litigation law.
Mack, who earned his law
degree from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
works in the firm’s Greensboro,
N.C. office.
Linda Klein, the managing
shareholder in Baker
Donelson’s Georgia offices,
assumed the role of presidentelect of the American Bar
Association recently. She will
serve a one-year term as
president-elect then become
ABA president in August 2016.
Linda’s practice area includes
most types of business dispute
resolution, including contract
law, employment law and
professional liability, working
extensively with clients in the
construction, higher education
and pharmaceutical industries.
In June 1997, Linda became
the first woman to serve as
president of the State Bar of
Georgia. She was also one of
the first women to lead a
prominent Georgia law firm.
She served as managing
partner of Gambrell & Stolz,
beginning in 2001, and led
the firm’s 2007 merger with
Baker Donelson.
1981
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Alan Saler
17040 Magnolia Boulevard
Encino, Calif. 91316
[email protected]
Nancy Gagliano writes, “Very
busy last decade for me. I left
Mass General Hospital after
21 years of academic medicine and have been the chief
medical officer for CVS
MinuteClinic. Moved from
Massachusetts to Providence,
R.I. with my husband of 27
years, Tony Giedt, two collegeage kids and two dogs.”
Robert Ostrander writes, “In
June I was elected presidentelect of the New York State
Academy of Family Physicians.
It is an exciting time, as
family medicine is playing a
central role in a paradigm
shift in the health care delivery
system. On a personal note,
my son Geoffrey just joined
our small rural family practice
in the Finger Lakes. My
daughter Maggie ’13 is working
at our local hospital, F.F.
Thompson Hospital in
Canandaigua, as an ICU
nurse. My son Nicholas is
ROCK ON, DR. LEW
R
ock star Lew Schon ’82 is back to this
day job: orthopedic surgeon.
For the few who missed the concert or
the viral video, Schon belted out a cover of
the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in
July at Boston’s Fenway Park.
His backing band: the Foo Fighters.
Schon found himself on the inner circle
of the hard-rocking band after front man
Dave Grohl broke his leg jumping off a stage
during a June show in Sweden. The former
Nirvana drummer was initially treated by a
colleague of Schon’s in Great Britain. When
Grohl returned to the states, Schon followed
up on his care.
With Schon a longtime fan of the Foo
Fighters and Nirvana, the two hit it off as the
doctor oversaw the rocker’s cast changes
and rehab. Schon found himself hanging
with Grohl and the band when the Foo
Fighters came to Washington to kick off their
20th anniversary tour, which Grohl played
from an ostentatious throne that allowed
him to keep his broken leg elevated.
Later, when the doctor went to see the
band at Fenway, Grohl surprised him with a
request. “I thought he was joking but soon
realized that he was dead set on making
this happen,” recalls Schon, who several
times turned down the offer to sing at the
next night’s show.
But Grohl persisted. “He asked me if I
knew anything about Fenway or Boston. I
reflected and realized I knew ‘Seven Nation
Army,’ the stadium song. He loved it and …
15 minutes before curtain time we had a
rehearsal and the rest is history.”
Schon says he has always been a
performer at heart, doing magic shows at
age 10 and giving academic lectures on
orthopedics the last 26 years. He plays
keyboards and sings with “The Stimulators,”
a band of orthopedic staffers from Baltimore’s
Union Memorial Hospital, where he
specializes in foot and ankle procedures.
Their gigs include hospital events, weddings
and the Fourth of July. He recently sang
with a Talking Heads tribute band at a club
in Washington, and he opened for his son’s
band at a gig this fall.
At Union, he spent time in the piano
practice rooms and sang with Kappa Alpha.
He attributes his moves to a dance class he
took freshman year.
At Fenway, the self-proclaimed “nerdy
doctor guy” ignited the audience, flailing
and loosening his trademark bow tie as he
screamed out the song. The crowd was
chanting “Lew!” as he left the stage. Said
Grohl afterward from his throne: “Holy s----,
that’s actually my doctor. What a badass.”
And the reaction at the office? “Everyone
thought it was pretty cool,” Schon said.
“My patients were beaming and happy even
if they had some swelling or discomfort. It
was very therapeutic for them.”
| 39
the classes
working in healthcare policy
in the Finger Lakes, and my
daughter Grace is a senior at
Siena. A Union Connection:
Dr. Dave Baum ’81, a fellow
member of Union’s first class
of Six Year Meds, is the senior
vice president for medical
affairs at Thompson Hospital.”
AT T H E G LO B A L H E L M
OF GE MARKETING
G
eneral Electric is one of the best known
companies—here and everywhere else.
This is a great advantage for the chief
marketing officer, responsible for the
company’s overall marketing strategy and
brand promotion, but also a great challenge.
“GE is 123 years old and our brand—one
of the biggest in the world—is valued at
$42 billion. Most people have heard of GE
and think highly of it, and that’s part of the
advantage of being such an established
brand,” said Linda Boff ’83, who became
chief marketing officer in September. “Our
challenge isn’t awareness. It’s making sure
people know who we are today and where
we’re headed in the future.”
For example, ten years ago, when Boff
joined GE, the company had diverse
businesses—entertainment, financial and
industrial. Today, its portfolio is focused on
health, energy and transportation. And it’s
focused on more than the equipment of
these fields, like wind turbines or CT scanners.
“We are no longer just machines, we sell
outcomes,” explained Boff, who is based in
GE’s New York City office. “Our software
helps industries move faster, operate less
expensively and more efficiently. We have
merged machines and analytics on a scale
that will benefit all industrial companies.
This is what a digital industrial company like
GE is all about.”
As such, a top priority for her is communicating this identity.
“We work hard to show up in ways that
are contemporary, relevant, fresh and
unexpected,” Boff said. “We’re quick to adopt
new digital platforms and social media
because it reminds people that GE is all
about invention and technology. We align
our marketing with our business strategy.”
John Barbagallo was recently
elected first vice chair of the
Board of Governors of the
Property Casualty Insurers
Association of America. John
is commercial lines group
president at Progressive
Insurance Group. His career
at Progressive spans more
than 30 years and includes
management positions in
claims, sales, operations,
product and development
and marketing. He received
his master’s degree from
Purdue University.
Keeping up with all of these emerging
trends, and using them creatively, is
something the political science major (who
minored in psychology) learned at Union.
“Union was a time when I explored
everything. I became a radio DJ. I learned to
shoot and develop photos for Concordiensis.
I played JV lacrosse. I was on the Speakers
Committee. I was social chairman at SDT. I
did internships at Ellis Hospital and an Albany
radio station,” Boff recalled. “I did study (at
least some of the time), but more than anything, I explored what piqued my interest.
“I use those same skills in business. I am
always looking for the next idea, meeting
new people, exploring fresh ways of
approaching problems. Union woke all of
that up for me.”
Union also has the added bonus of being
her daughter’s alma mater. Nellie, who
graduated in 2015, has followed her mother
into the media business. Boff is proud that
both she and her daughter gained so much
from their time in Schenectady.
Hannah Schwartz writes, “It is
hard to believe that almost 12
years have passed since we
moved to Sydney. It is a
beautiful, liveable city. During
my time here I have held GM
and CMO level positions in
various public and start-up .
com businesses. I am finding
my current position, as head
of marketing at an edutech
start-up, especially rewarding
because we are improving
literacy outcomes for primary
students. Once a year I visit
my family in the greater NYC
area and the Berkshires. I will
be there this Christmas. Do
let me know if you are in the
area. Should work or pleasure
bring you down under, please
get in touch, as we would love
to give you the royal tour.”
1982
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Thomas Reynolds
3440 Powells Crossing Ct.
Woodbridge, Va. 22193
1983
1987
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Cory Lewkowicz
74 Taylor St.
Needham, Mass. 02494
[email protected]
Paul Malatesta
148 Washington Avenue
Chatham, N.J. 07928
[email protected]
Bambi J. Moyer was recently
appointed to a judgeship in
the Riverside County (Calif.)
Superior Court. She has
served as a commissioner at
the Riverside County Superior
Court since 1996. She served
as a deputy district attorney at
the Riverside County District
Attorney’s Office from 1988 to
1996 and was an associate at
the law offices of Blumenthal
and Milliken from 1987 to
1988 and at Heslin and
Rothenberg PC from 1986 to
1987. She earned a J.D. from
the Albany Law School.
well as serve as deputy
minority leader for 13 years.
I am also grateful to my wife,
Mary, and two sons, Jacob
and Zachary, for their
unwavering support and
encouragement.” Peter
continues to work with New
York and other Mid-Atlantic
states in promoting the
responsible siting of offshore
wind to meet future energy
needs and encourage
economic development while
protecting areas important
to New York’s industries.”
Beaver Paper & Graphic
Media recently announced
that Gavin Morton has been
named chief operating
officer, a new position within
the company. In this role, he
will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations
and ensuring company-wide
alignment with competitive
strategies, as well as improving
management and organizational effectiveness. Prior to
this appointment, Gavin
served in executive roles
focusing on talent management, human resources and
organizational excellence
for such companies as
Interactive Communications
International, Consolidated
Container Company and
Unisource Worldwide.
1986
1988
Joann Sternheimer of the law
firm Deily & Glastetter, LLP
has been selected as a Fellow
of the Litigation Counsel of
America. Joann is the firm’s
managing partner and is
responsible for long-range,
strategic planning and works
closely with the management
team on matters relating to
information technology. Her
practice is focused on complex
commercial litigation,
commercial lending, problem
loan workouts, debt restructure,
creditors’ rights and bankruptcy, business counseling
and mediation and alternative
dispute resolution. A graduate
of Rutgers School of Law,
she is a member of several
professional organizations,
including Albany County Bar
Association.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
1984
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Kathleen Kozera Rowe
33 Fairway Ave.
Delmar, N.Y. 12054-3332
David M. Madden, chairman
of the board of directors of
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, has
joined the Navitor Pharmaceuticals board of directors
as an independent director.
David is also a founder and
principal with Narrow River
Management, an investment
management company with
a focus on equity investments
in, and management of, drug
development projects. From
2000 to 2003, David was
co-CEO of Royalty Pharma AG.
Previously, he was a managing
member of Pharmaceutical
Partners, and was president,
CEO and a director of Selectide Corporation. Additionally,
David serves as chairman of the
board of Adolor Corporation,
and is a member of the board
of directors of the Hospital for
Special Surgery in New York
City. David holds an M.B.A.
from Columbia University.
Mark Hurwitz ’85 with his wife,
Anita, and children Ethan, Tia
and Noah.
1985
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jon Mathewson
PO Box 1262
Middletown Springs, Vt.
05757-1262
Mark Hurwitz writes, “I’ve
been in the pharmaceutical
industry for over 17 years,
and am currently a regional
account manager for Alexion,
a biopharmaceutical company
specializing in ultra-rare
diseases. Anita and I celebrated
our 20th anniversary this
past May and took the whole
family to Aruba to celebrate
before Anita and I, my son
Ethan (8) and daughter Tia
(12) took a road trip to South
Carolina to help my oldest
son, Noah, move in for his
freshman year at Clemson
School of Engineering.”
Peter Clouse writes that he
will be closing out his career
as an Albany County legislator
after deciding not to seek
re-election this year. “I had
the honor and privilege of
representing my hometown
for 23 years and the opportunity to effect change both in
my district and in southern
Albany County. My economics
degree from Union, along
with my law degree, combined
with the values that my
parents instilled in me and
provided the skills I needed to
do my job as a legislator, as
Joann Sternheimer ’86
Dana Rosen Isbitts
480 Alexandra Circle
Weston, Fla. 33326
[email protected]
Suffolk Construction recently
hired David DeFilippo as its
new chief learning officer,
responsible for leading the
company’s learning, leadership and organizational
development strategy and
fostering Suffolk’s “build
smart” approach companywide through innovative
training programs and
initiatives. David will also
represent the learning and
development function as a
member of the organization’s
management committee.
Prior to joining Suffolk, David
worked at BNY Mellon, where
he established and led the
company’s corporate
| 41
the classes
WORKING WITH THE BEST
H
elene De Vries ’89 is always thinking
about the best of the best, it’s her job.
“As chief talent officer at MRY, I recruit
top talent to join MRY,” she said. “And I
collaborate with our teams to train, engage
and retain that talent by developing programs
and growth opportunities for them.”
MRY is a digital marketing agency
focused on millennials, a generation that
relies on mobile devices and technology.
MRY works with blue chip clients like Visa
and Coke to reach millennials with brand
messaging delivered via the non-traditional
media channels these customers prefer.
Being part of a company with such a
mission is both rewarding and challenging
for De Vries, who works in MRY’s New York
City office and who double-majored in
political science and psychology at Union.
“The best thing is shaping people’s
careers in a positive way. I love seeing how
an opportunity at MRY is going to be a
career enhancer for a person, while also
building MRY’s relationships with its clients,”
she said. “I love to understand what makes
people tick (part of my psychology background from Union!), and figuring out ways
to tap into their skills and passions for a
mutual greater good.”
Making all this good stuff happen,
though, isn’t easy. The competition for top
digital media/social media/tech-skilled
personnel is stiff.
“Highly sought-after employees have a
myriad of opportunities,” De Vries said.
“Fostering a unique culture and backing it
up with employee-centric actions are some
of the ways we mitigate the talent drain. We
lean in to MRY’s entrepreneurial heritage
and continually encourage employees to
share their business ideas.”
De Vries shared some of her own ideas
during a Union College event in New York
City in October that featured alumni
working in the entertainment industry. She
appreciated the opportunity.
“It’s important to continually learn and
mentor. Understanding the challenges
faced by your predecessors—those senior
to you—enables you to make informed
decisions going forward,” De Vries said.
“Learning from those junior to you is equally
important, too. This event provided great
development opportunities for everyone.”
She also expressed appreciation for her
continuing connection with her alma mater,
and the difference it made for her.
“A liberal arts education is as important
as ever. Being exposed to a broad range of
disciplines, and gaining the ability to think
and write critically, are invaluable,” De Vries
said. “These skills, combined with more
specific studies, create strong leaders and
communicators. I tap into my Union
education in this way every day.”
De Vries was joined by Jack Cole ’04
(writer, director, showrunner at Orange
Soda Productions) and Amy Silberman ’04
(supervising producer at “Entertainment
Tonight” and “The Insider”). The event,
hosted by Julie Swidler ’79 (executive vice
president, business affairs and general
counsel, SONY Music Entertainment) was
streamed live online.
To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ZcPY3l7sGpA
university for more than
50,000 employees worldwide.
He is an adjunct faculty
member at the University of
Pennsylvania and serves as
an executive coach at Harvard
Business School. David earned
an M.A. from New York
University and a doctorate
with distinction from the
University of Pennsylvania.
He is also a graduate of
Georgetown University’s
Leadership Coaching Program
and serves as a mentor to
students in the Year Up
Program and as a member
of the corporation for the
Perkins School for the Blind.
1989
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Stephanie Spencer Wiggs
795 Watson Canyon Ct.
Apt 356
San Ramon, C.A. 94582
[email protected]
Dr. Robert Stoltz, boardcertified ophthalmologist,
recently joined the Cartersville
(Ga.) office of Georgia Retina.
Robert has actively participated
in numerous ophthalmologyrelated clinical trials and
currently heads the clinical
trials program at Georgia
Retina. Robert, who earned a
combined M.D. and Ph.D.
degree in medicine and
pharmacology from New York
Medical College, previously
served as chief of the retina
service at the Philadelphia
Veterans Administration
Medical Center.
1991
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Daniel Crosby
15 Howlett St.
Topsfield, M.A. 01983
[email protected]
The 2016 edition of the Best
Lawyers in America recognized Brooks Pierce attorney
Alex Elkan as a leader in
The big 5-0 celebrations are upon us! The family of Peter Scott ’88
hosted a great party for him. Jon Vehar brought incriminating photos
from the Suite life. LeAta Jackson brought the Freshman Record
and the Yearbook for pics we could show the kids. Peter, LeAta and
Jon were joined by Kirt Meyer and Bob Lindyberg ’91.
IN MEMORY OF
ED VASSALLO ’90
L
ast year, in honor of
their 25th ReUnion,
Andrew Sobel ’90,
Rob Mazow ’90, Jeff Miller
’90, Steve Neiditz ’90,
Dave Babkow ’90 and
Rob Shapiro ’90 worked
together to create the Ed
Vassallo ’90 Scholarship in
memory of their friend and
classmate. Ed, who died in
February 2014, possessed
an energy and passion for
living that was infectious
to all those who knew him.
And it was at Union he
found his love of theater,
which would shape him
and become the most
integral part of his life.
Led by the efforts of Sobel
and Neiditz, this group of
friends was able to raise
$50,000 in just six months
to establish this scholarship that will honor Ed in
perpetuity. Thank you to
everyone who supported
this scholarship. We look
forward to introducing you
to the first student who
will benefit from your
generosity in a future
magazine.
environmental law. Alex, the
winner of the Greensboro
Bar Association’s 2014 Pro
Bono Award, works in the
firm’s Greensboro and
Raleigh (N.C.) offices.
Matthew Guenther was
recently named to the board
of directors of Private Equity
Principals Group, a networking group for private equity
investing professionals.
Matthew is a partner with
GenNx360, responsible for
sourcing, structuring and
executing investment
opportunities as well as
working with management
post transaction. Prior to
joining GenNx360, he was at
Walden Capital Partners
working on both new investments and portfolio management. Matthew sits on the
board of Precinmac, Salford,
Vertex, Tooling Technologies
and Vintage Parts. He holds
an MBA in finance and
international business from
Columbia Business School.
Anne E. Zaccheo received an
Excellence in Health Care
Award for Practice Manager
of the Year. She received a
combined B.A.-M.B.A. in
health administration from
Union and completed her
internship at Albany Memorial
Hospital, and fellowship at the
Anne E. Zaccheo ’91
Albany V.A. She worked at the
Syracuse V.A. as a JCAHO
continuous quality improvement coordinator, and later
joined Voluntary Hospitals of
America as a quality improvement specialist. In 1996, she
joined Prepaid Health Plan/
Univera Healthcare as provider
relations director. In 2002,
the plan merged with Excellus
BlueCross BlueShield, and
Anne worked in provider
relations/operations until
2013. In May 2013, Anne
became practice director at
Nephrology Associates of
Syracuse, PC, a medical
practice of six physicians and
five mid-level providers that
provide office, hospital and
dialysis center care in
Syracuse, and at satellite
locations in Auburn, Fulton,
Oneida, and Camillus. Anne
is a member of the Medical
Group Management Association and Renal Physician
Association, and resides in
Syracuse, N.Y., with her
husband, Greg Angwin, and
son, Philip Zaccheo.
1992
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Stephanie Fray
Apartment 7 D
10 West End Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10023-7828
[email protected]
Brendan M. Clifford writes,
“My wife, Debbie, my two
boys, Connor and Dylan, and
I recently went on our first
Stacie Brenkovich ’93 with her
husband, John Brenkovich, and
children Matthew and Avery.
trip to Disney World this year
and had a blast. We highly
recommend Everest and the
Rock n’ Roller Coaster. Life is
good on the career front as
well. I was recently promoted
to vice president at RiverStone Claims Management
LLC (A Fairfax Company) in
Manchester, N.H. I stay in
touch with Mike Samuel,
Todd Harris and Pete Savage.
I hope everyone is doing well.”
1993
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jill Bernstein
201 East 77th Street #3B
New York, N.Y. 10028
[email protected]
(212) 535-4267
Stacie Jordan Brenkovich
writes, “Life continues to be
full. We enjoyed time at the
beach in Long Island this
summer, a highlight was our
trip out to Montauk to visit
the lighthouse. My son
Matthew (5) started kindergarten in September and is
enjoying it. My daughter
Avery turns 3 in March and
loves to do whatever her big
brother does. I continue to
work at Accenture, focusing
in the social learning and
collaboration space.”
Jason Buchwald writes, “While
I am still working as a hospitalist for a group in Scottsdale,
Ariz., I am simultaneously
| 43
the classes
building my own practice,
going to nursing homes and
acute rehab centers, with the
plan to be eventually fully
self-employed. So far so good,
but it does take time. It has
been a fantastic year for music.
I have my own recording
studio, the Operating Room,
and I am writing for and coproducing a local artist named
Promise (www.promises
world.com), and an album is
planned for release next year.
I also have been the full-time
keyboard player for the Matt
Facciolla Band (www.Matthew
Facciolla.com)—a longtime
friend and bandmate who has
opened for Joan Jett, the J.
Geils Band, Foghat and One
Republic. Most recently we
were in the recording studio
with the Goo Goo Dolls. Played
a show for 20,000 people a
few days after that on the
waterfront in Buffalo—it was a
blast. Some highlights are at
www.JasonBuchwald.com.
My wife, Sherryl, and I are in
NYC often, and hopefully
we will be able to make a visit
to Union soon. Anyone in
Arizona, please let us know.
It would be great to catch up.”
Peter Schwab has been hired
as portfolio manager of the
Pax World High Yield Bond
Fund. Peter, a former managing director and director
of high yield research at
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, has 17 years of high
yield experience.
1994
William Wolff writes, “After
nine years at Rowan University, this semester I hopped
across the river and started as
an assistant professor of
communication and digital
media at Saint Joseph’s
University in Philadelphia. All
is well with Wendy and our
family. Hydan turns five in a
Hydan and Seeger Wolff,
children of William Wolff ’94
Dr. Eileen Barrett ’95, Dr. Lou
Snitkoff ’73 and Dr. Audrey
Kupchan ’76
Greg Walters ’97 delivers the
keynote at the College’s annual
Veteran’s Day breakfast.
few months and Seeger just
turned two. This summer we
bought a beautiful 1920s
stone house in Media, Penn.
The upgrades and repairs are
just about done and we’re
excited to be moving at the
beginning of November.”
Meyerhoff family member
and has played an integral
role in developing and
guiding the organization’s
impact and efforts to improve
the quality of life in Baltimore.
is a company that operates
turnkey drone solutions to
deliver cost effective actionable
data to enterprise customers.
1995
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Caroline Paine Pannhorst
32 Nottingham Way North
Clifton Park, N.Y. 12065
[email protected]
Audrey Kupchan ’76, MD,
FACP; Lou Snitkoff ’73, MD,
FACP; and Eileen Barrett, MD,
FACP were all in Rancho
Mirage, Calif., for the American
College of Physicians’ Board
of Governors meeting in
October. They were part of a
group of about 25 physicians
who are championing physician wellness when they found
out they are all Union alums.
1996
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Betsy Phelps Seplowitz
104 Tompion Way
Ballston Spa, N.Y. 12020
[email protected]
Elizabeth Minkin was recently
featured on dc.citybizlist.com.
The article, a Q&A, focused on
her role as president of the
Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff
Family Charitable Funds.
Elizabeth is a fourth generation
1997
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Sara Amann Garrand
367 Schauber Road
Ballston Lake, N.Y. 12019
[email protected]
Greg Walters was keynote
speaker at a campus Veterans
Day breakfast in November.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he
was recently profiled in The
Springfield Student newspaper.
The story focused on his
recent career with the Navy
and his new job as facilities
director at Springfield. Read
more here: http://scstudent
media.com/2015/09/24/
former-military-man-gregwalters-is-the-new-facilitiesdirector/
Brandon Declet, CEO and
co-founder of Measure, was
selected by the Federal Aviation Administration administrator for membership on the
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Registration Task Force. The
group is developing recommendations on a streamlined
registration process and
minimum requirements on
which unmanned aircraft
should be registered. Measure
1998
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Ryan T. Smith, MBA ’00
284 Sussex Circle
Jupiter, Fla. 33458
[email protected]
Stacy DeForrest recently
became assistant corporation
counsel for the city of Auburn,
N.Y. She has worked at the
Thurston Law Office since
2012, after seven years with
Boyle & Anderson, P.C. Stacey
earned her a law degree from
Syracuse University.
1999
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Kellie (Forrestall) Beebee
360 First St.
Lowell, Mass. 01850
[email protected]
2000
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Erika Newell
4842 Bayard Blvd.
Bethesda, Md. 20816
Dr. Sonia Pyne was recently
featured in the Rochester, N.Y.
Democrat & Chronicle
newspaper. The story focused
on her job as chief of the
ambulatory anesthesia at the
University of Rochester
JUICE THE CHANGE HE NEEDED
By Molly Congdon ’12
M
ost people only talk about pursuing their dreams. Jon
Schiff ’02, who used to suit up each day as a hedge
fund derivatives trader on Wall Street, just made his a reality.
“I thought I wanted my dream job to be in finance, but the
truth was, it wasn’t fulfilling,” Schiff said. “My body was telling
me I needed to do something else. I wasn’t eating the way I
wanted to, my body was super stiff and I wasn’t living the
lifestyle I wanted.
“I was sitting behind a desk all day, not creating anything,
and I really wanted to build something. Finance is great, it
just wasn’t for me.”
So he made a drastic change and is now the owner of
Real Good Juice. The Old Town Chicago business offers
juices and smoothies that are “organic and locally sourced.”
Schiff and his team cold-press the fruits and vegetables; their
goal is to serve the healthiest product they can.
“I quit my job [in 2013] on a Monday and on that Wednesday
I ended up volunteering on a farm in Illinois, trying to understand that business and culture,” Schiff said. “It was inspiring
to work with people who were truly passionate about what
they were doing and the values behind their trade.”
He took the lesson to heart with Real Good Juice.
“We’ve built a great team of people who believe in the
longevity of our efforts,” Schiff said, “which is not just buying
organic ingredients but understanding and knowing the
farmers who provide them.”
The menu is sure to make you smile with selections like
Juice Springsteen, Juice Bigalow, Whitney Juice-Ton, Juicille
Ball and Juice Lee.
“All of our juices and smoothies have funny names,” Schiff
said. “They all have health benefits but we wanted to simplify
it to communicate their attributes. My favorite so far, the Punky
Juice-Ster, is this wacky combo of matcha, almonds, chia,
chlorophyll and mint. It keeps you youthful with the boundless
energy of a wise-cracking, freckle-faced 12-year-old.”
His business continues to gain popularity and, now, profit.
“August to December 2014 we were down mostly because
of the weather, it was the coldest winter in Chicago’s history,”
Schiff said. “We were break even for the first half of the year,
but are finally starting to make money. It is such a great feeling
to watch the business develop.”
Schiff credits much of his success to his undergraduate years.
“Union’s an amazing community, from the lacrosse team
to the fraternity I was in, to the friends that I made there,” he
said. “They teach you how to think strategically and think
outside the box, to have an open mind. That’s what a liberal
arts education really supports.”
It’s also what’s helped him become an entrepreneur with a
bright future.
“We are building something more than one juice bar,” Schiff
said. “What we have here is one business that we are going to
replicate into another and another, not just in Chicago but
other cities as well.”
| 45
the classes
Medicine and chief of anesthesiology at UR Medicine
Sawgrass Surgical Center.
Dr. Lee Polikoff writes,
“Thought I would pass along
for an update in the next
alumni magazine that I
completed my fellowship
in pediatric critical care
medicine at Yale-New Haven
Children’s Hospital. I am an
attending in the pediatric
intensive care unit at Hasbro
Children’s Hospital in
Providence, RI, and an
assistant professor of clinical
pediatrics at the Warren
Alpert School of Medicine at
Brown University. Please
send my regards to Prof.
Carol Weiss.”
2001
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Erin (Aloan) Grogan
143 Streeter Hill Road
West Chesterfield, N.H. 03466
[email protected]
Union’s Gamma Phi Beta
sorority, Epislon-Epsilon
chapter, funded a scholarship
for a young woman attending
a Miracles in Motion horsemanship camp this past
summer. Erin Grogan, vice
president of Miracles in
Motion board of directors,
was thrilled to work with her
alma mater. “Gamma Phi was
an important part of my
Union experience and I was
just so impressed with the
current members and their
interest in supporting this
important cause,” she said.
“There is a growing body of
research establishing
promising links between
equine-assisted activities and
the development of social,
communication and leadership skills, particularly for
at-risk youth.” The on-campus
fundraiser that enabled the
scholarship was arranged by
Gamma Phi Beta philanthropy
chair Maeve Williams ’16.
Class of 2006 alumni Julia Thomas, Evan and Nicola Reid (term
abroad), and Alexandra Heitner celebrate Zachary Thomas’ (born
4/22/14) first birthday with brother Benjamin (born 7/22/12), Matilda
Reid (born 10/24/12) and Hattie Heitner (born 10/10/14).
Miracles in Motion is based in
Keene, N.H. and is dedicated
to helping individuals and
their families meet physical,
emotional, cognitive and
social goals through equineassisted activities.
2005
2002
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Gina L. Campanella
[email protected]
John Schiff was recently
featured on CNN Money.
The story focused in the
Millennial generation’s
tendency to change jobs if
they are dissatisfied with the
one they have. John, no
longer happy working at
hedge funds, opened his own
juice bar, Real Good Juice
(realgoodjuiceco.com), in
Chicago.
2003
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Katrina (Tentor) Lallier
50A Locust Street
Danvers, Mass. 01923
[email protected]
Elana Rudnick and Brandon
Liebeskind became engaged
on July 10, 2015. They have
moved to Hoboken, N.J.,
and will be married at the
Rockleigh Country Club in
June 2016.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Andrea Doenges
[email protected]
2006
Sarah Heitner
[email protected]
Bryan Campbell is director of
statistical analysis and hockey
administration for the Detroit
Red Wings. He will focus on
advanced statistical analysis
and analytics in the areas of
salary trends, contract
valuations, free agent market
acquisitions, trades and other
areas, as well as comparative
research for contract negotiations and salary arbitrations,
collective bargaining
agreement administration
and compliance and coordinating player transactions. He
will also scout games locally
at the professional, collegiate
and junior levels. Bryan who
played hockey at Union, holds
a master’s degree in business
administration from New
York University.
After relentlessly pursuing
his interest in auto racing and
German engineering, David
Merkel is now a member of
the Porsche Motorsport North
America track support team.
David Merkel ’06
The group of engineers
provides comprehensive
technical assistance to
Porsche customer teams in a
variety of North American
sports car racing series,
including the International
Motor Sports Associationsanctioned Porsche GT3 Cup
Challenge USA by Yokohama
and Ultra 94 Porsche GT3
Cup Challenge Canada by
Michelin. David earned his
master’s in mechanical and
systems engineering from
University of Rhode Island,
and studied automotive
engineering at TU-Braunschweig to complete his graduate
studies. Read more about
David’s path to Porsche at
www.imsa.com/articles/
working-dream
2007
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Nick Salvatoriello
[email protected]
Dan Amira was part of the
team that won an Emmy
Award for his work on
“The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart,” in the category of
outstanding writing for a
variety series.
2008
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Dana (Cohen) Bernstein
250 E. 63rd Street, Apt. 1001
New York, N.Y. 10065
[email protected]
she raises goats and makes
cheese. Read more about how
she fell in love with farming
and decided to make a life of
it at http://www.nshoremag.
com/november-2015/
goat-gal/
2011
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
On July 25, 2015, a group of alumni gathered for a surprise celebration for the 30th birthday of Win (Thomas) Schellens ’07 at the Old
Lyme Beach Club in Old Lyme, Conn. Alumni in attendance included
Jordan (Silletti) Schellens ’09, Erin Campbell ’07, Matt Carlson ’07,
Owen Cope ’07, Alex Dacey ’07, Mike Epstein ’07, Peter Farmer ’07,
Christine Farrell ’09, Jamie and Katrina (Neiley) Schellens ’10, Russell
Spiegel ’07, Anne Woodward ’11 and Ken Reiser ’12.
Votto Vines Importing—
dubbed one of America’s
Most Promising Companies
by Forbes, and nominated for
Wine Enthusiast’s Innovator
of the Year Wine Star Award
in 2014—has landed on the
2015 INC. 500/5000 list (#593)
for the second consecutive
year. Posting three-year
growth of 778 percent, Votto
Vines is one of the few wine
importing companies ever to
earn placement on the Inc.
500/5000 list. The company
was founded cousins Michael
Votto ’00, president and CEO,
and Stephen Votto, CFO.
Votto Vines was also named
to the first-ever Entrepreneur
e360™ List, Entrepreneur
Magazine’s new and prestigious list honoring the Best
Entrepreneurial Companies
in America. It recognizes
entrepreneurial companies
for their growth, innovations,
progressive decision-making,
resilience, and value they
bring to the world. Votto
Vines’ innovative approach
to business operations landed
them on the “Forward
Thinkers” sub-list. Forward
Thinkers are honored as
progressive-minded companies who embrace technology
and innovation, set high goals,
and easily adapt to market
needs while remaining loyal
to their core values.
2009
Gabe Kramer
123 North Arden Blvd.
Los Angeles, Cali. 90004
[email protected]
Carl Winkler
201 West 70th Street, Apt 28 L
New York, NY 10023
[email protected]
Malysa Cheng and Brian
Hurley were engaged on
June 12, 2015. The wedding
date is set for Oct. 29, 2016 in
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where
there will be other Union
alums in attendance as well
as in the wedding parties.”
Malysa Cheng ’09 and Brian
Hurley ’09
apartment in Boston: Westy
Goes West. In attendance
were Luke Bryden ’09, Dan
Kutner ’11, Eddie Burnham ’11,
Tim McGovern ’11, Paige
Valchuis ’12, Emily Crandall
’14, Haley Brown ’14, Dave
Carson, Mike McAndrew ’09,
Ryan Kraynak ’09, Kyle Welch,
Alex Bibby, Ewo Harrell, Brad
Wilhelm, Clarissa Odence ’11,
Lizzie Pike ’12 and Scott
Coblyn.” Tim added that the
Event in a Box (Union banners
and other goodies) he received
from the Office of Alumni &
Parent Engagement made the
party “even more fun.”
Erin Bligh owns a thriving
farm, Dancing Goats Dairy,
in Newbury, Mass., where
Cassandra Skoufalos
[email protected]
2012
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Anna Meiring
[email protected]
Benjamin Engle writes, “After
completing my M.S. in urban
planning from Columbia
University in 2014, I was hired
by the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey as a
leadership fellow—a two-year
rotational program for
leadership and public service.
The PA operates various
transportation assets,
including the George
Washington Bridge (see
photo). Over the past year,
I have worked on exciting
projects throughout the
agency in the Storm Mitigation & Resiliency Office of
2010
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Ewo Harrell
Orlando, Fla.
(407) 506-3713
[email protected]
Tim Cook writes, “Our good
friend Chris Westlund
recently headed to L.A. go
see about a girl (Lauren
Hennessey ’11). We threw
him a going away bash at our
A group of alumni gathered recently in Boston to throw a going away
party for Chris Westlund ’10
| 47
the classes
Each year, friends from the Class of 2011 get together in Stonington,
Conn. During summer 2015, the group got to celebrate the engagement of Dan Schlicher and the “guest appearance” of Tomas Sevilla,
who lives in Lima, Peru. Other alumni in attendance included
Elizabeth Sargent, Maxwell Troop, Sean Gannon, Sam Barstow, Evan
Ryan, Matt Rogers, Jason Philbrick and Victoria Mathieu.
the COO, the PATH Capital
Project Management
Division, and the Office of
Continuous Improvement.
While full-time at the Port
Authority, I recently returned
to school to study for a master
of public administration from
NYU Wagner.”
Samuel Fein won election for
county legislator, 6th District,
in Albany, N.Y., in November.
He will be the youngest
legislator in the body. For
more on Sam, visit https://
www.facebook.com/Fein
ForAlbany?fref=ts or http://
www.feinforalbany.com/
Amy (Weiner) Etinger lives in
Secaucus, N.J., with her
spouse, Vlad. She writes, “I
just got married and was
pleased to have some Union
friends attend my wedding.”
Ajay Major writes, “I recently
gave a talk at Stanford Med X
on in-Training, an online
magazine for medical
students that my colleague
(and fellow alumna) Aleena
Paul and I founded in July
2012.” His talk was titled “The
role of collective intelligence
and medical student communities of practice in the new
classroom.”
2013
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Cristina Vazzana
[email protected]
Benjamin Engle ’12 visits the top
of the George Washington
Bridge
Sam Robson writes, “2015 has
been quite the year so far.
I’ve helped start a feature film
production company in
Hollywood called AWOL
Studios, where I’m head of
logistics, and executive
producing our first two films,
A number of Union alumni ran
the Chicago Marathon on
Oct. 11, 2015. Pictured, from left,
are Dearon Panossian ’11, Emily
Rudolph ’13 and Katie McLean
’11. Kelsey Fish ’14 and Taylor
Bresnahan ’13 were also among
the 45,000 marathoners.
the first of which we’re in
casting on, and plan to start
shooting in the next few
months. I’ve also taken on a
project near and dear to my
heart: I’m creating a partnership between Major League
Baseball and Parkinson’s
disease, something my father
has battled with for decades.”
Ajay Major ’12 spoke at Stanford
Med X recently.
Krystal Figueroa ’13 in Madrid
with Julius Barbanel, math
professor emeritus
Krystal Figueroa writes,
“Simona Teixeira and I are
teaching abroad in Madrid.
Just recently our posse
mentor Julius Barbanel, a
recently retired Union math
professor, came to visit us.”
2015
CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Kelsey Carroll
[email protected]
Colin Stevens was recently
featured in The Daily Gazette
newspaper. The story focused
on his preseason NHL debut
with the Florida Panthers.
Simona Teixeira ’13 in Madrid
with Julius Barbanel, math
professor emeritus
Sheri Park ’13 and Melissa
Harvey ’15 hung out with
Fernando Orellana, associate
professor of digital arts, at the
opening of his art show
“Afterlife” at Incline Gallery in
San Francisco in July.
YOUNG GEOLOGIST GOES TO NORTH POLE
By Jennifer Brodsky ’14
T
Quisqueya Witbeck ’16 (left),
Lucas Rivers ’15 and Rachel
Refkin ’15 met by chance at
Columbia University’s School of
International & Public Affairs’
graduate school fair, Summerfest 2015.
wo months after graduating Union, Kyle
McQuiggan ’14 embarked on a great
Arctic expedition.
A biology-turned-geology major, Kyle
never imagined he’d be going to the North
Pole, but that’s just what he did. The
purpose of the trip, run the by the U.S.
branch of GEOTRACES, was to establish
baseline measurements of chemicals in the
Arctic (water, ice, sediment, snow and air).
The reason?
In the future, McQuiggan said, when a
metal is found in the ocean and it seems
high, our data will show if concentrations
have increased since 2015. This work will
help develop trackable levels of elements.
McQuiggan, who has never been at sea
or experienced the perpetually cold
conditions, was thrilled with the experience.
“I really enjoyed the work, the field, and
the people,” he said, “I have always loved
the ocean and truly enjoyed being at sea.”
The adventure lasted 64 days (early
August—mid-October), with the team
navigating the icy waters from Dutch
Harbor, Alaska to the North Pole and back.
After 6,000 miles, with good weather and
thinner ice than expected, the expedition
was declared a success—the researchers
got all the samples they wanted.
These samples are now in Norfolk, Va.,
being analyzed. During this time, McQuiggan will also be working towards his
master’s degree in chemical oceanography
at Old Dominion University.
McQuiggan expects the Artic research to
be published in multiple papers, conference
presentations and a summary book. And
after that? He looks forward to more opportunities of this kind. He did, after all, discover
that there really is a red-and-white striped
pole (think Santa Claus) at the North Pole.
Kyle credits Union with making such
things possible. It’s where he was inspired—
in part by courses in biogeochemistry and
advanced oceanography—to become a
geology major in the first place.
These same courses, combined with the
hands-on research he did in Union’s
graduate-level labs, have prepared him well
for his work at Old Dominion. They’ve given
him a great understanding on which to
build his expertise, he said, and his dream
job in chemical oceanography.
| 49
unions
Alumni attend the wedding of Keith Gooberman ’06 and Brena Cascini Gooberman ’06
1952
Dr. Robert C. Smith and Nydia
M. Muniz of Sun City Center
and Ruskin, Fla., were married
on April 11, 2015. The wedding
took place in the Chapel of
the First Congregational
Church of Sarasota. Dr. Smith
is professor emeritus at the
College of New Jersey, where
he taught for 26 years. Mrs.
Muniz-Smith is a retired
Dr. Robert C. Smith ’52 and
Nydia M. Muniz
psychiatric social worker
originally from Puerto Rico,
who lived and worked for
many years in New York City.
On their honeymoon the
couple visited several islands
in the Caribbean.
Jay McNeal writes, “I was
married Aug. 1, 2015 to Kelli
Eck. We remain in Richmond,
Va., while she completes her
dual degree program with
Baptist Theological Seminary
at Richmond (M. Div.) and
Virginia Commonwealth
University (MSW). I continue
to expand the clergy for Hire
Ministry, including its Daily
Podcast by October 2015.”
included the following Union
alums: Craig Lapinski ’93,
Larry Cote ’94, Dr. Gildo
Corradi ’94, Heather Mehl
Corradi, Elissa Mehl Cote,
Nina Morris Lapinski, Jeremy
Zeff ’97, David Messler,
Elizabeth Decker Messler,
Tracy Miller Quinn ’97,
Chrissy Foster ’97 and Jessica
Kaplan ’97. The couple was
brought together by the late
Martin J. Logan ’96. Andrea
recently joined Ted in
Washington state, where she
is employed by Union College
as a west coast recruiter for
the Admissions Office. She is
looking forward to reconnecting with other alums on the
West Coast. She can be reached
at [email protected].”
Phoenix, Ariz. Alumni in
attendance included Heather
’97 and Daniel Pesikoff,
Jason Rosenstock and Ron
Zuckerman. The newlyweds
reside in Phoenix, where
Leah is a leasing manager for
the Taubman Company and
Joshua has a private practice
in periodontics and implants
in Peoria, Ariz.
1996
1999
2003
Andrea Marie Zaremba wed
Theodore Diamond (USNA
’96) in Wayne, N.J., on
Aug. 23, 2014. The festivities
Leah Bold and Dr. Joshua
Mondlick married on New
Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2014, at
the Phoenix Art Museum in
Brian DeMichele is happy to
announce his marriage to
Kelly Dascher. The ceremony
took place on June 26, 2014,
1995
Brian DeMichele ’03 and his
wife, Kelly Dascher
The wedding of Andrea Marie Zaremba ’96 and Theodore Diamond
Heather ’97 and Daniel Pesikoff ’99, Jason ’99 and Paula Rosenstock,
and Ron ’99 and Judy Zuckerman attend the wedding of Josh ’99
and Leah Mondlick (second couple from right).
Alumni attend the wedding of Catherine Ollinger ’07 and Douglas
Bush ’05
Alumni attend the wedding of Colleen Faith White ’07 and Carson
Thomas Brown
in Saratoga, N.Y. The two met
when Brian came back to the
Schenectady area to attend
Union Graduate College in
2013. The following alumni
were in the wedding party:
Luciano Iorizzo as best man,
Timothy Burgess and Andrew
Kestner ’02. Other alumni in
attendance were Brian’s
father Robert DeMichele ’66,
uncle Donald DeMichele ’69,
cousin Christopher Altieri ’08,
Dana (Kazmeriski) Iorizzo ’05,
Adam Malinoksi, Anna
Packard-Malinoski ’05,
William Howe, Mathew
Blackwell, Robert West ’04 and
Brent Filson ’04. They honeymooned in Turks and Caicos.
Colleen Faith White married
Carson Thomas Brown on
June 6, 2015. The Rev.
Thomas Collins, a Roman
Catholic priest, performed the
ceremony at The Otesaga
Resort Hotel in Cooperstown,
N.Y. Colleen is a Boston-based
media specialist at SutherlandGold. She directs media
relations campaigns for
consumer technology brands.
Carson is the associate
director of facilities and
operations at Boston College.
A graduate of Boston College
he received a master’s
degree in sport management
from the University of San
Francisco. Erin Hallman, the
bride’s sister, was matron of
honor. Bridesmaids included
the groom’s sister, Caroline
Brown, and Heidi Millar, Stacy
Stevens, Ashley Edwards
and Vanessa Hernandez. The
2006
Keith Gooberman and Brena
Cascini Gooberman were
married Sept. 12, 2015 at the
Onteora Mountain House in
Boiceville, N.Y. Alumni in
attendance included Jeramey
Normand ’14, McLeod Sims
’11, Dan Michaelson, Sasha
Lopresti Michaelson, Harrison
Paras, Tom Hickernell,
Brendan Dahlgren ’14, Chris
Belair, Natalie D’Antonio, Ali
Rae-Baum, Max Zimbert ’07
and Nancy Borowick ’07, who
also took the photographs.
2007
Catherine Ollinger and
Douglas Bush ’05 were married
July 11, 2015 in Montauk, N.Y.,
on the beach. Union College
attendees included Lauren
Sylvetsy, Nancy Gutman,
Jen Avedon, Blair Smith, Lisa
Hagopian, Mike Silvestro ’05,
Jim Bush ’05 and James
Basuk, Class of 2017.
groom’s brothers Cameron
and Austin Brown served as
best men. Groomsmen
included the bride’s brother,
Sean White, and Christopher
Casey, Sherwin Parkhurst,
Michael O’Connor, Charles
Beale and William Flynn.
Other alumni in attendance
included Gregory Scott ’w05,
Erika (Eisenhut) Rahill ’06,
Beth (Carcone) Peters ’06,
Jimmy Rahill ’06, Elizabeth
(Livada) Piantidosi, Jennifer
Sacks, Kara Huston, Alicia
(Gifford) Arcuri ’06 and Frank
Arcuri ’06. Pete Brown, Union
football coach and Colleen’s
softball coach when she was
a student, was also present.
Emily (Landis) Jackson was
unable to attend due to the
birth of her child, Miles
Jackson.
| 51
unions
Alumni attend the wedding of Lorlette Haughton-Moir ’07 and
William George Moir.
Alumni attend the wedding of Noah Kohan ’07 and Elise LaPointe
Alumni at the wedding of Chuck Fontana ’09 and Regina
Chiuminatto ’09
Henry Hanley ’09 and Johanna Lou ’10
Alumni attend the wedding of Sean Mulkerne ’09 and Laura Tosney
Alumni attend the wedding of Anthony Cassese ’11 and Jacqueline
(Hung) Cassese ’11
Lorlette Haughton-Moir
married William George Moir
Sept. 12, 2015 in Canterbury,
N.H. Alumni in attendance
included Simy Koshy-Thompson, Jeannette Hiciano,
Amarilis Francis, Saim Jafri,
Ermin Arias, Luis Garcia,
Colin Foard, Amy Pina,
Elizabeth Gustafson, Sunita
Singh, Anjali Singla, Kaitlyn
Tagarelli, Ryan Schiavone,
Alessandro Carini, Mamadou
Fall, Ian Kennedy, Kelsey AllenDicker, and Elroy Tatum ’06.
Noah Kohan and Elise
LaPointe were married Feb.
22, 2015 at Temple Sinai in
New Orleans, La. The couple
lives and works in Washington, D.C. Elise is a special
education teacher at Bailey’s
Elementary School for the
Arts and Sciences; Noah
consults as a senior associate
with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Other Union classmates
in attendance included Peter
Farmer, Mike Mastroianni and
Neal Varughese.
2009
Chuck Fontana and Regina
Chiuminatto were married
Oct. 11, 2014 in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin and are now living
in Tuxedo, N.Y. Alumni in
attendance included Joey
Hunziker ’08, Drew Pearson
’08, Moish Peltz ’08, Meg
(Licht) Barhite, Tamar
(Soroker) Peltz, Maggie
Levine, Emma Labrot, Miles
Kueffner, Catherine (Davis)
Sayles, Owen Heneghan, Tom
Perry, Sean Mulkerne, Maggie
Nivison, Tom DiLaura, Jake
Klein, Andy Barhite, Reed
Olsen, Kara McCabe, Kate
MacEwan ’10, Chelsea Tussing
’10, Erin Bligh ’10, James
Maher ’10, Ben McIntosh ’10,
Dave Sayles ’10 and Katie
Robidoux ’11 . Also in attendance were Graham Miller
and Laura Tosney, who both
went to Union but graduated
elsewhere.
arrivals
Henry Hanley and Johanna
Lou ’10 were married May 30,
2015 at Wolftrap Farm in
Gordonsville, Va. They now
reside in Atlanta, Ga. Alumni
in attendance included Nicole
(Litvack) Saks ’10, John
Nobrega, Rob Powell, Ginny
(Taft) Powell, Keelin Skurek
’10, Allison Frederick ’10, Nate
Saslow, Andrew Scaplen,
Michael McAndrew, Katie
Nielsen, Colin Cameron,
Brendan Kennedy, Carly
(Mand) Mason ’10 and Jude
Mason ’08.
Sean Mulkerne married Laura
Tosney (study abroad student
from York St. John University
in 2005) at a ceremony in
Halifax, U.K., Oct. 3, 2015. In
attendance at a reception in
Deansboro, N.Y., were Emma
Labrot, Maggie Levine,
Maggie Nivison, Miles
Kueffner, Andy Barhite, Meg
Licht, Owen Heneghan,
Chuck Fontana, Regina
Chiuminatto, Reed Olsen,
Nina Kalinkos ’08, Dana
Cartwright ’08, James Maher
’10 and Erin Bligh ’10.
2011
Anthony Cassese and
Jacqueline (Hung) Cassese
were married Sept. 12, 2015 in
Gloucester, Mass. The
celebration continued at the
Peabody Essex Museum in
Salem with family and
friends. Alumni in attendance
included Scott Crasnick ’10,
Jason Philbrick, Daniel
Schlicher, Jordan Remillard,
Leanne Winters, Erika
VanValkenburg, Nick Poli,
Matthew Rogers (Best Man),
Alex Connell, Amelia Endo,
Rachel Singleton, Victoria
Mathieu, Andrew Mason ’06,
Ben Stewart, Peter (Rack)
Mugford, Lydia Treat,
Amanda Judson ’10, Sasha
Zuflacht ’13, Kaitlyn Shemitz
’13 and John Manna.
Claire French with big sister
Leah (French ’00)
Grayson Tyler Lawrence
(Lawrence ’01)
Twins Camille Regina and Mabel
Lauren with older brother,
Weston, and older sister, Elsie
(Geiselman ’01)
Summer Joy Buckler
(Buckler ’04)
Olivia Blaine Kirk (Kirk ’06)
Daniel Maurice Martel-Foley
(Martel-Foley ’09)
2000
weeks, due to complications
from a rare condition,
Twin-to-Twin Transfusion
Syndrome. At birth their
weights were just 3 pounds,
10 ounces and 2 pounds,
8 ounces. The girls spent 3
and 4 months recovering and
growing in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical
Center in Boston. We are happy
to report that they have made
tremendous progress and
are now happy and healthy
one-year-olds. They join big
brother Weston, age 5, and
big sister Elsie, age 3.
enjoys being a big brother.
Everyone is adjusting to
being a family of four!”
Brooke (Barylick) French and
Jonathan French are thrilled
to announce the birth of their
daughter, Claire, on Jan. 5,
2015. Claire joins big sister,
Leah, who is 3. The family
resides in Atlanta, Ga.
2001
Kimberly (Maron) Lawrence
and Brad Lawrence are proud
to announce the birth of their
son, Grayson Tyler. Grayson
was born May 30, 2015 and
weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces.
Kara Mielcarz Geiselman
writes, “My husband, Kyle,
and I welcomed identical
twins, Camille Regina (Milly)
and Mabel Lauren (Belle) to
our family on Nov. 19, 2014.
The girls were delivered in
critical condition at just 30
2004
Kristen Lueckel Buckler and
her husband, Michael,
welcomed their second child,
Summer Joy Buckler on
June 18, 2015. They write,
“Chase loves his sister and
2006
Kate Cassella Kirk and her
husband welcomed their
daughter, Olivia Blaine Kirk,
on Oct. 7, 2015. Olivia joins
big brother, Patrick, who was
born June 1, 2014.
2009
Rosie Martel-Foley and Dr. Joe
Martel-Foley ’08 welcomed
their first child, Daniel
Maurice Martel-Foley, in
Boston, Mass., on Sept. 9,
2015. Coincidentally, the labor
and delivery nurse who
assisted the birth was a Union
alumna. The couple recently
purchased a new home and
now reside in Reading, Mass.
| 53
in memoriam
1930s
Dr. Clarence E. Gingras ’39,
of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,
who graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania
School of Dentistry and he
served in the U.S. Army
Dental Corps during World
War II, before practicing
dentistry in West Palm Beach
for 40 years, Nov. 3, 2015.
Clarence, who served on the
dental staff of Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s Hospitals,
was past president of Palm
Beach County Dental Society,
and a founding member of
St. John Fisher and St. Paul of
the Cross Catholic Churches,
was 99.
1940s
Joseph F. Furlong ’42, of
Shelburne, Vt., who served
with the U.S. Navy and earned
an M.B.A. from Harvard
Business School before
working for Central Hudson
Gas & Electric Corporation,
eventually serving as vice
president of governmental
affairs before retiring in 1985,
July 24, 2015. A member of
Union College’s Industrial
Administration Advisory
Committee and many
professional organizations,
including the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic
Engineers, he was 94.
Robert R. Cullen ’43, of
Stuyvesant Falls, N.Y., who
held a master’s degree from
Albany State and spent 37
years with the Hudson City
School District, serving as
principal of Claverack,
Stottville, Greenport and
Stuyvesant Falls elementary
schools, Aug. 31, 2015. A
member of many community
organizations, including the
Town of Stuyvesant/Stockport
Senior Citizens Club and
Stuyvesant Falls Fire Co., he
was 93.
volunteer physician in
Vietnam, June 26, 2015.
Joseph, who served as the
St. Ignatius College Preparatory football team physician
for 25 years and taught
orthopedic surgery at Mount
Zion Hospital, retiring in
1998, was 86.
Joseph B. Grocock ’46, of
Jacksonville, Fla., who served
with the U.S. Navy aboard the
U.S.S. Grand Rapids PF-31 as a
radio operator before earning
a master’s in French from
Middlebury College, July 18,
2015. Joseph spent his career
in education, working at
several schools, including St.
Albans School (Washington,
D.C.), where he taught French,
ran summer school and
became dean of students.
Headmaster of Episcopal
School in Jacksonville at his
retirement, he was 91.
Dr. Frederick H. Grabo ’48,
of Rome, N.Y., who graduated
from Albany Medical College
and served with the U.S. Army
during the Korean Conflict
before opening a private
surgical practice in Rome,
from which he retired in
1988, Sept. 8, 2015. Frederick,
who later served as medical
director at Mohawk Correctional Facility and ran
26 marathons, was 87.
Richard J. Snyder ’47, of
Oceanside Calif., a graduate
of Rutgers University Stonier
Graduate School of Banking
who served in the U.S. Army
during World War II as a
language specialist and spent
most of his career as an
executive branch manager
with the Schenectady Trust
Company before retiring with
the County of San Diego in
1996, April 2, 2014. A member
of Old Mission San Luis Rey,
Richard enjoyed reading,
writing and playing the violin.
He was 92.
Dr. Joseph I. Bernstein ’48,
of San Francisco, Calif., a
graduate of Albany Medical
College who served as an
Army flight surgeon during
the Korean Conflict and as a
Edgar J. Stevens ’49, of
Englewood, Fla., who served
in the U.S. Navy during World
War II and earned a master’s
degree in mathematics
from the State University of
New York at Albany before
becoming a teacher and
math supervisor for Kingston
Consolidated Schools for
over 30 years, June 9, 2015.
Edgar, who was active with
Englewood Performing Arts
and volunteered as a tax
consultant for AARP, was 89.
Peter King ’49, of Buffalo, N.Y.,
who served with the U.S.
Navy in the Pacific Theater
during World War II and
enjoyed a long advertising
career, during which he was
president of Levy, King &
White advertising, June 26,
2015. Peter, who served on
numerous community
boards, including that of
Millard Fillmore Gates
Hospital, and who was a
talented artist and cartoonist,
was 88.
John O. Eshbaugh Jr. ’49,
of Farmington, Conn., who
enjoyed a lengthy career
in aviation insurance,
July 15, 2015.
Gabriel Timpano ’49, of
Loris, S.C., who served in the
military and fought from
Normandy to the Battle of the
Bulge before spending 30
years with IBM, working as a
customer engineer, a sales
engineer, installation
planning coordinator for the
700 and 7000 series, and
working on the ballistic
missile early warning system,
Sept. 7, 2015. He was 92.
Robert W. Miles ’49, of
Chateaugay Lake, N.Y., who
trained in the U.S. Army’s
10th Mountain Division Ski
Troop, serving in France and
Austria during World War II,
before teaching English in
Camden and then joining the
guidance department and
becoming an administrator
there, Oct. 15, 2015. An avid
snow and water skier who
was a member of ski patrol
and an EMT, and a communicant of St. Patrick’s Church,
he was 91.
1950s
Donald C. Hicks ’50, of
Bennington, Vt., a World War
II veteran who served with
the U.S. Army, 86th Infantry,
was awarded the Bronze Star,
served as executive director
of the Greater Bennington
Chamber of Commerce and
^
P R O F. E D WA R D J. C R A I G ’ 4 5
spent most of his career as
business manager of the
Department of Motor Vehicles
in Montpelier, Aug. 20, 2015.
Don, who also served as
deputy commandant of the
Vermont Veterans Home and
worked at Hemming’s Motor
News, was 89.
Joseph T. Sollecito ’50, of
Schenectady, N.Y., who
served with the U.S. Army in
the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
and spent 30 years working
with General Electric,
travelling all over the world to
build power plants, including
the first in the Middle East,
Sept. 1, 2015. A member of
many organizations, including the American Society of
Civil Engineers and the
Union College Alumni
Association, he was 92.
James L. “Larry” Gemmell ’50,
of York Beach, Maine, and
formerly of Schenectady, N.Y.,
Dec. 17, 2014. He was 86.
Edward A. Larson ’50, of
Detroit, Mich., who served as
an officer in the U.S. Army
during the Korean Conflict
and earned an M.B.A. from
Harvard School of Business
before working in the family
business, Clay Pipe Manufacturing, in Detroit and Ohio,
Sept. 30, 2015. Edward,
who later had a long career
owning and managing two
restaurants in the Philadelphia
area, was 87.
Francis B. Fassnacht ’51, of
Peekskill, N.Y., who worked as
an electrical engineer for the
Surface Warfare Center (Silver
Spring, Md.) until 1991 and
then worked as an adjunct
E
dward J. Craig ’45,
dean of engineering
emeritus and professor
of electrical engineering
emeritus, died Aug. 12, 2015
at the age of 91.
A popular professor
who served the College in
a number of capacities
throughout his tenure, he
was chair of Electrical
Engineering, associate
dean of faculty and dean
of engineering. He retired
from Union in 1991.
He entered Union
College in the fall of 1941
but enlisted in the U.S. Army
in December 1942 at the
onset of World War II.
Trained in the infantry, he
transferred to the Army Air
Corps in the fall of 1943,
receiving a commission as
second lieutenant and
navigator in the fall of 1944.
He was assigned as a B-29
navigator in the 460th
Bombardment Squadron,
which was sent to Tinian
and Okinawa. He reached
the rank of first lieutenant.
After World War II, he
returned to Union and
graduated in 1948 with a
degree in electrical engineering. He taught mathematics
at Union for the 1948-49
academic year. After earning
a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1954, he returned to the
Union EE faculty in 1956.
He was promoted to full
professor in 1960.
While at Union, he took
two sabbaticals, one in
1979-80 to teach at the
University of Liberia,
Monrovia; the other in
1998-90 at the University of
Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
He wrote two textbooks
and 18 technical papers.
He also wrote a history of
Union’s Electrical Engineering department, a memoir of
growing up in Chicopee,
Mass.; and an account of his
year abroad in Liberia during
which a coup toppled the
government.
As an alumnus, he was a
fixture at ReUnion, often
organizing events for his
class. A frequent speaker at
alumni events, he peppered
his talks with his trademark
self-deprecating humor. A
lecture he gave on computer
programming carried the
subtitle, “Nausea in the
Computer Room.” He warned
a colleague in advance: “I
can guarantee the audience
a good time. I cannot
guarantee how much they
will learn.”
He received the Faculty
Meritorious Service Award
from the Alumni Council
in 1985.
He was a founder of the
Olde Timers Softball League
in 1990 and served as its
president. He coached Little
League and Babe Ruth
baseball and was an avid
basketball player. He was
active as a scout leader. He
was a lector at St. Helen’s
Church in Niskayuna, and a
lector, Eucharistic minister,
and choir member at St.
Edward the Confessor Church
in Clifton Park.
He was the husband of the
late Jeanne M. McDonald
Craig, whom he married on
June 19, 1947. Survivors
include five children, Stephen
R. Craig ’82, Theresa Craig
Glunz ’84, David E. Craig,
Anita Craig Cummings, and
William P. Craig ’88.
| 55
in memoriam
professor at the Naval Post
Graduate School (Monterey,
Calif.) until 1996, Aug. 30, 2015.
He was 85.
William H. Fulton Jr. ’52 (Ret.
LTC), of Miromar Lakes, Fla.,
who earned a master’s in
industrial engineering from
Texas Tech and served with
the Air Force in Korea and
Vietnam, earning the
Distinguished Flying Cross
and Vietnamese Cross of
Gallantry before becoming a
naval consultant for Booz
Allen and Hamilton in Iran,
June 29, 2015. Bill, who later
made a career in commercial
real estate with companies
including EROLS, Friendly’s
and Cambridge, was 83.
George V. Exner ’52, of Bonita
Springs, Fla., who served in
the U.S. Air Force and earned
an M.B.A. from Rutgers
University before spending
his career with the Prudential
Insurance Company, retiring
as senior vice president,
CLU, CPCU of Prudential
Property and Casualty
(Holmdel, N.J.), Aug. 15, 2015.
George, who enjoyed tennis,
golf, bridge, traveling with
'his family and socializing
with friends, was 86.
Bernard R. Coleman ’52, of
Troy, N.Y., who served with
the U.S. Air Force during the
Korean War and earned a
master’s degree from the
University at Albany before
working at the Lansingburgh
Central School District as a
teacher, guidance counselor
and assistant principal,
Aug. 11, 2015. Serving in
many community organiza-
tions, including as president
of the Knickerbocker PTA
and captain of fire police for
Speigletown Volunteer Fire
Co., he was 84.
Kenneth G. Johnson ’52,
of Benchmark, South
Cambridge N.Y., and Farmington, Conn., a Naval officer
during the Korean Conflict,
and exploration geologist in
South- and Meso- America
who was chair of the Geology
Department and, later, the
Environmental Studies
Program at Skidmore College,
where he taught two generations of students over 30
years, Sept. 25, 2015. An
award-winning scholar and
author involved in several
national and international
organizations, he was 85.
Bruce D. McKeige ’53, of
Stuart, Fla., who graduated
from the Naval Officers
Candidate School and served
as an officer aboard the U.S.
Nightingale in Charleston,
S.C., before becoming a
partner at Huntoon Paige &
Co. (New York City), Aug. 15,
2015. Bruce, who formed his
own mortgage and government backed securities
brokerage firm, McKeige &
Co. (Port Washington, N.Y.),
and was an accomplished
yachtsman, was 85.
John E. Sigsby Jr. ’53, of
Durham, N.C., who worked as
a chemist for the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency for 33 years, his work
on the fundamental research
of automotive emissions
eventually leading to the use
of catalytic converters and the
reduction of pollution from
automobiles, Sept. 15, 2015.
An avid bowler and duplicate
bridge player who enjoyed
watching horse racing,
college football, basketball
and Union ice hockey, he
was 84.
Joel E. Mann ’53, of Darien
and New Canaan, Conn.,
who graduated from Harvard
Law School before beginning
a legal career specializing in
the entertainment industry,
working for Weissberger &
Frosch in New York City and
then Columbia Pictures,
eventually retiring from
Hearst Corporation, Sept. 27,
2015. Joel, who enjoyed
classical music, theatre,
traveling and had a soft spot
for animals, was 82.
Francis Kahanic ’54, of
Arlington Heights, Ill., who
earned an M.B.A. from
Northwestern University and
was an electric engineer for
AT&T/Teletype until he retired
in 1987, Aug. 23, 2015. Francis,
who later was a consultant
for Abbott Labs and enjoyed
reading and playing cards
(especially bridge), was 84.
Roger K. Harvey ’54, of
Niskayuna, N.Y., a U.S. Army
veteran who played bagpipes
for the Second U.S. Army
Band, taught social studies
for 34 years at Oneida and
Central Park Middle Schools,
and owned the Holiday
Liquor Store for 25 years,
Feb. 4, 2015. A Mason and
member of the Schenectady
Masonic Lodge, he was 82.
Roger was misidentified in
the spring 2015 issue.
Fred H. Herrington Jr. ’55, of
Rehoboth Beach, Del., who
spent 22 years as a chemical
engineer with Westvaco, first
in Mechanicville, N.Y. and
later in Wickliffe, Ky., before
joining the Scott Paper
Company in Philadelphia,
July 25, 2015. An avid
outdoorsman who enjoyed
hunting small game, fishing,
clamming and crabbing, he
was 81.
Storrs M. Bishop III ’56, of
Livingston, Mont., who served
with the U.S. Army 82nd
Airborne Division, earned a
B.A. from Syracuse University
and a teaching degree from
the Colorado University
(Boulder), and operated
Willow Ranch in Ennis for
40 years, June 14, 2015. Storrs,
who served on the Ennis
School District Board of
Trustees and on the board of
directors for the Montana
School Board Association,
and raised Norwegian fjord
horses, was 81.
Robert S. Sadler ’58, of Las
Cruces, N.M., an electrical
engineer who worked for
Grumman Corp. before
joining the Apollo program as
a part of the team testing
engines for the lunar module,
July 24, 2015. Bob, who
enjoyed RV-ing with his wife
and became a contract
manager for Dynalectron
Corp. and Lockheed-Martin
later in his career, was 82.
Henry Porter Salmon ’58, of
Houston, Texas, Nov. 19, 2014.
^
JANE WOLD
1960s
Richard G. Miles ’61 of
Gainesville, Ga., an engineer
who retired from Lockheed
in Marietta, Ga., and enjoyed
world travel, on July 9, 2015.
He was 75.
James R. Newell ’65, of
Pittsford, N.Y., who worked
for the University of
Rochester and was an adjunct
professor for Rochester
Institute of Technology, and
who received an M.B.A. from
the University of Rochester,
Aug. 30, 2015. He was 72.
Thomas P. Allen ’66, LTC, U.S.
Army (retired), of Hollywood,
Fla., who served in the
uniforms of the U.S. Armed
Forces for 33 years, first in the
Air Force, then in the Army
and Army Reserve, and was
a veteran of the Vietnam
War and Desert Storm, and
received numerous commendation medals, July 13, 2015.
Thomas, who graduated from
Southwestern University
School of Law (Los Angeles)
and was general attorney for
the Social Security Administration in Florida, and who
had a private practice in
disability law, was 72.
Robert C. Griffin ’66, of
Albany, N.Y., a graduate of
Albany’s Vincentian Institute
who was board chairman of
Catholic Charities of Albany
Diocese, St. Anne’s Institute
and St. Peter’s Hospital, and
who was a founding member
of Assisi in Albany, July 6,
2015. A general agent for
the Massachusetts Mutual
Company and chief executive
J
ane Wold, a prominent
community volunteer
and a generous Union
benefactor with her
husband John S. Wold ’38,
died Nov. 18, 2015, at the
couple’s home in Casper,
Wyo. She was 92.
She volunteered at
organizations such as the
Nicolaysen Art Museum, the
Food Bank of the Rockies,
Meals on Wheels and the
Natrona County Food Bank.
She helped with the founding of Casper’s Planned
Parenthood chapter and
was a past Casper YMCA
board member, receiving the
YMCA Distinguished Service
Award in 2013. She was also
active in Republican politics
and a member of the Casper
Garden Club.
“Jane was a great friend
of Union College and a
personal friend to me and
Judith,” said President
Stephen C. Ainlay. “She
demonstrated remarkable
generosity, kindness and
spirit. We will miss her very
much and I know all of
Union joins me in sending
sympathy to John and the
rest of the Wold family.”
Mrs. Wold, the former
Jane Adele Pearson, was a
native of Schenectady and a
graduate of Wheelock College
in Boston.
She joined her family on
campus in 2011 for the
dedication of the Peter Irving
Wold Center, named for Mr.
Wold’s father, who chaired
Union’s Physics Department
from 1920 to 1945.
The building was made
possible by a lead gift from
the Wold family, a $20 million
commitment that remains
the largest gift in the history
of the College. The gift also
provided endowment support
for a variety of programs,
including the Annual Fund,
scholarships, the Wold
Professorship in Religious
Studies and scientific and
technical equipment.
The couple also established the John and Jane
Wold Professorship in
Geology and supported the
Wold House, part of the
College’s Minerva system,
named in memory of Mr.
Wold’s parents.
“She led a long fulfilling
life, and she will be greatly
missed by her friends and
family,” said her son Peter.
Jane is survived by her
husband, John, a geologist
and president of Wold
Minerals Co., and former
U.S. Congressman; two
sons, Peter and Jack; and a
daughter, Priscilla. Her
grandson, Joseph, graduated
from Union in 2010.
| 57
w
in memoriam
officer of Griffin Financial
Group who most recently was
on the board of directors for
Capital District Physicians
Health Plan, he was 72.
William F. “Bill” Waite ’68, of
Lacey’s Spring, Ala., who
earned an M.S. in physics
from Pennsylvania State
University and a master’s of
administrative science from
the University of Alabama
(Hunstville), and who was
chairman and co-founder
of the AEgis Technologies
Group, a privately held
aerospace and defense
business, July 25, 2015. A
leading member of several
professional organizations
who helped establish the
master’s and Ph.D. programs
in modeling and simulation
at several major universities,
including UAH and Old
Dominion, he was 68.
Barbara S. Bloomer ’68, of
Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.,
a nurse who earned a
master’s in education from
the College of St. Rose and
had a long teaching career
that ended with her retirement as headmistress of
Brown School (Schenectady,
N.Y.), July 16, 2015. A member
of the Schenectady Chapter
of DAR, she was an active
member of the Schenectady
Yacht Club for over 40 years.
Robert Nym Park III ’68, of
Seattle, Wash., who completed
his degree at Colorado
College and followed a
non-traditional career path,
managing the finances of,
and providing other support
to, his mother and older
relatives, June 23, 2015. Nym,
who devoted large amounts
of time and effort to photography and writing, worked
the standup comedy circuit
and played guitar, was 70.
1970s
Stuart A. Keith ’75, of Lenox,
Mass., who worked at GE
Plastics as an electron
microscopist for many years
and was a dedicated volunteer for RSVP and a member
of the Thursday Evening
Club, Aug. 19, 2015. A skilled
bass player who performed
with many bands in Berkshire
County, and an avid Dodgers
fan, he was 64.
William E. Leary ’76, of
Horseheads, N.Y., a U.S. Navy
veteran who earned an M.S.
in industrial engineering
from Alfred University before
spending the majority of
his career with Corning Inc.,
working on and off for
30 years as a project electrical
engineer, July 4, 2015.
An avid skier and golfer,
Bill enjoyed working at
Community Glass after
retirement. He was 67.
David Wade ’77, of White
Plains, N.Y., who founded his
own company, doremus fp,
25 years ago, and enjoyed
spending time with his
family, golfing and watching
the Yankees, May 9, 2015. He
was 60.
1980s
1990s
Robert S. Lynch ’84, of Old
Mystic, Conn., and formerly
of Albany, N.Y., who earned a
Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of
Connecticut, spent 22 years
as a senior research scientist
with the Naval Undersea
Warfare Center, and was the
holder of five U.S. patents,
Aug. 14, 2015. A leading
member of many professional
organizations who founded
his own company, Analytic
Information Fusion Systems
LLC, and was an adjunct
professor at UConn in the
ECE Department, he was 55.
Chad Hall ’91, of Upton, N.Y.,
who served with the U.S.
Army 54th Ordnance
Detachment, spent 15 years
with General Electric (Schenectady) in the generator
department before becoming
engineering manager of GE
Jenbacher (Austria), July 22,
2015. Chad, later director of
engineering and quality
UTC Company, Kidde Fenwal,
was a second lieutenant with
the Eagle Matt Lee Firehouse
in Ballston Spa. He was 50.
Robert “Rob” W. Green ’85, of
Chateaugay, N.Y., who held
an M.B.A. from Albany State
University and was employed
by General Electric Research
& Development, Alcoa and
Wyeth before serving as
director of information
technology for Franklin
County, Oct. 12, 2015. A
member of the Esperance
and Malone fire departments
and Titus Mountain Ski Patrol,
he was 58.
Stephen J. Quine ’87, of New
York, N.Y., who graduated
from Albany Law School and
worked for the firm Clifford,
Chance, Rogers & Wells, and
Merrill Lynch, before becoming senior global risk executive at Bank of America, Aug.
23, 2015. A member of the
Law Review and Justinian
Society, he was 49.
Giovanna Etkin ’92, of
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., who
earned bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in English
from the University of
Bologna before graduating
from Union with a B.A.
in psychology and starting
a medical practice in
Schenectady with her
husband, June 12, 2015.
Giovanna, who was business
manager of the practice for
over 20 years, loved world
travel, from hiking in Nepal
to scuba diving in Fiji. She
was 71.
Friends of
Union College
Annmarie Attanasio, of
Schenectady, N.Y., who
attended cosmetology school
and was a beautician for Ray’s
Beauty Parlor before becoming a cook at Grandma’s,
Union College and Friendly’s,
July 16, 2015. She was 64.
James Howard, of Amsterdam, N.Y., who worked for 21
years in the Union College
machine lab and was an
integral member of the Baja
car team, assisting with
design and building, Sept. 10,
2015. James, who also drove
the truck and trailer that
carried the car to national
events, enjoyed hunting and
four-wheeling, and was a
gifted woodworker and
builder, was 55.
Lawrence D. Bondinello, of
Clifton Park, N.Y., who spent
35 years as a landscaper for
Ireland and Gannon (Oyster
Bay, N.Y.), White Birch
Nursery (Rotterdam, N.Y.) and
Union College, Aug. 18, 2015.
Larry, who was part-owner of
race horse Easy Street, and
who missed only one racing
season at Saratoga since he
turned 14, was 63.
BEING MOVED TO GIVE BACK
“
I have always been impressed with the obvious enthusiasm with
which alumni representatives discuss ongoing changes taking
place at Union. Their annual visits have kept me informed of
Union’s broad range of public events and activities, and advances
being made in Union’s Chemistry Department, where I earned
my B.S. degree. These interactions rekindled a strong feeling of
affinity with Union that I had not felt since my graduation. With
Gift Planning Office guidance, I decided to add to my support of
Union by means of a Charitable Gift Annuity and a Chemistry
Scholarship Endowment. I am pleased to have the opportunity
to give back to Union what Union gave me so long ago.
– Ken Greenough ’54
”
If, like Ken, you’re interested in giving back, we’re here to help. A gift
made today or a gift made later through your estate will have lasting
impacts on your alma mater, and may provide positive income and tax
consequences. There are many options to consider based on your
personal circumstances and what you’d like to achieve for Union.
Compare the options at www.union.giftplans.org/giftoptions
TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jacqueline Cavalier, Gift Planning
(518) 388-6156
[email protected]
founded 1795
| 59
look back
Muhammad Ali jokes with local fourth-graders at
Phi Sigma Delta's house prior to his talk in
Memorial Chapel Oct. 24, 1968. The students were
part of a Big Brothers program with the fraternity.
(AP Photo/Steve Starr)
Pulling No Punches: The Night Ali Came to Campus
BY PHIL WAJDA
F
all of 1968. The Vietnam
War continues to escalate
and student unrest swells
on college campuses. The
Rev. Martin Luther King and
Senator Robert E. Kennedy had
been assassinated. Political
Forum wants a dynamic
speaker who represents a point
of view that will deliver a jolt
to a campus that feels a bit
removed from the conflicts of
the time.
Abbott Stillman ’69,
president of the group
founded a decade earlier at
Union to “promote political
interest on campus,” sets his
sights on the charismatic,
controversial 26-year-old
former heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali.
Ali had recently been
stripped of his boxing title
when, as a Muslim, he refused
induction into the Army ("War
is against the teachings of the
Koran," he said. "I'm not trying
to dodge the draft [but] we don't
take part in Christian wars.”).
Convicted of violating
Selective Service laws, Ali is
sentenced to the maximum
five years in prison and a
$10,000 fine. He is free on bail
pending an appeal.
Barred from making a
living as a boxer, Ali embarks
on a series of speaking engagements. He is often greeted as
a hero for his anti-war stance.
Others call him a coward.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, 1968,
Union is the second stop on the
exiled fighter’s 68-college tour.
Dressed in a doublebreasted silk gray suit, Ali
spends nearly an hour in
Memorial Chapel entertaining
the boisterous audience. At
times angry, funny and
always provocative, he shares
his thoughts on a wide range
of topics, from the teachings
of Islam leader Elijah
Muhammad to his relationship
with his mentor, Malcolm X.
He also speaks of the
tension between whites and
blacks, and how blacks are
conditioned to think “white.”
He points out that Santa Claus
is white. So is Jesus.
“Even Tarzan, king of the
African jungle, is a white man
swinging around each week
with diapers on,” he says,
referring to a popular television
show at the time.
He offers a solution. It
makes headlines the next day.
“We don’t hate white
people—we know them too
well,” he says. “And the only
solution to today’s racial
problems is separation.”
Each anecdote, joke or
lesson is met with cheers and
applause. Ali’s magnetism is
infectious. When the talk is
over, the crowd rewards Ali
with a standing ovation.
Always quick with a
rhyme, Ali leaves his guests
with a poem.
“I like your school and
admire your style, but your
pay is so small, I won't be
back for a while.”
Fast forward nearly five
decades. The champ is 73
now and suffering from the
effects of Parkinson’s and
other ailments. He spends
most of his time in Arizona.
Public appearances are rare.
Interviews are scarce. The
brash, cocky talker is now
mostly muted.
But the memories made on
campus 47 years ago still hold.
“Some people just have
charisma,” Stillman said from
his home in Scarsdale, N.Y.
“This guy had so much that it
seemed the air moved around
him. He won over everyone
in my fraternity, and all the
others he met on campus,
simply by his presence.”
Sports Illustrated recently
announced that its annual
sportsmanship award will be
renamed in honor of Ali.
The award is given to people
who "embody the ideals of
sportsmanship, leadership
and philanthropy."
For more on Ali’s visit to campus,
visit www.union.edu/news
THE UNION COLLEGE ANNUAL FUND:
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by the Union community
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hy is your participation in the
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MAY 20-22, 2016
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
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2016
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14 Every voice heard | 18 The Rathskeller reborn

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